Friday at the festival
Three beautiful words: a very long weekend. Starting today, New Horizons Cinema (KNH) will wake up to the festival (the first screening starts at 10:00 a.m.) and, rather than winding down at night, will stay up for a proper night out at the AFF-ter parties (we’ll be dancing every night through late Monday evening). On Friday, choose from 43 screenings at KNH (plus dozens of titles online), join 7 meetings with guests, or take part in a discussion on comedy hosted by Filmweb.
Meetings and Q&As
There are plenty of highlights on today’s meeting menu, but one deserves special attention—our first conversation with Indie Star Award winner and retrospective heroine Susan Seidelman. Here’s today’s lineup:
1:00 p.m., KNH8 – American Shorts
guests: Emily McCann Lesser (producer, How to Shoot a Ghost), Kailey Wolf (director, The Last Goodbye), Michelle Twarowska (screenwriter, producer, and actor, The Last Goodbye), Renata Pałys and Monika Dawidziuk (actors from The Last Goodbye), and Eliza McNitt (director and screenwriter, Ancestra).
1:15 p.m., KNH5 – So Far All Good, dir. $ECK
guest: $ECK
4:00 p.m., KNH3 – Smithereens, dir. Susan Seidelman
guest: Susan Seidelman
4:00 p.m., KNH5 – The Scout, dir. Paula González-Nasser
guest: Paula González-Nasser
6:45 p.m., KNH4 – Are We Good?, dir. Steven Feinartz
guest: Steven Feinartz
7:00 p.m., KNH3 – Desperately Seeking Susan, dir. Susan Seidelman
guest: Susan Seidelman
7:00 p.m., KNH5 – Our Hero, Balthazar, dir. Oscar Boyson
guest: Oscar Boyson
7:15 p.m., KNH 6 – Mad Bills to Pay: (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo), dir. Joel Alfonso Vargas
guest: Joel Alfonso Vargas
AFF-ter party: Freaks & Geeks Silent Disco | 11:00 p.m.
Remember the house party in Superbad? Today, we’ll try to recreate that legendary event. The New Horizons Cinema foyer will turn into a dance floor for a Silent Disco—several channels, different moods, and a shared belief that coming-of-age movies are best experienced on the move. On the top floor, you can unwind, grab a drink, and rest before the next wave of millennium-era hits (there will be other music, but at least one dance to Britney Spears is strongly encouraged). Admission: free for festival participants (with a same-day ticket, pass, or accreditation); Entrance: from św. Antoniego Street; Headphone rental: PLN 25.
Filmweb panel discussion: Comedy at the Beginning of the Millennium | 8:45 p.m. (after the screening)
We remain in the universe of Superbad and, more broadly, the comedy world. After today’s screening of Greg Mottola’s film, we’ll talk about the American school of humor and its influence on Polish comedy. Łukasz Muszyński invites renowned comedy creators to join the conversation: screenwriter and producer Łukasz Sychowicz (The Office PL) and director and artistic director of the BIG Festivalowski film festival Alek Pietrzak (Czarna owca, Algorytm miłości).
Quick film quiz with Twoja Stara | 7:30 p.m.
Drag queen Twoja Stara invites you to a test of your cinema and festival knowledge. Drop by the second floor between screenings and play for the title of AFFilm Brain, plus some festival prizes! Twoja Stara will see who really knows their movies. Each round is individual, so all you need is your phone… and a bit of movie wisdom to shine in front of Twoja Stara and your fellow film lovers.
Merch: wear yourself in AFF style
Got an Erupcja in your head? Protect it with a festival cap or cozy beanie. Throw on a tote that can carry your whole suburbia, proudly pin on a star, sip your coffee from a new Studio Zakwas mug (we bet it’ll be your favorite), and go full AFF style. Try to change our minds: this year’s merch is stunning.
Merch has been made great again!
Recommended spots: tasty, plenty, and discounted
Remember: film calories need food calories. As always, we’ve prepared a list of great spots near the cinema where you can eat and drink well — and with your festival ticket, pass, or accreditation, enjoy special discounts or exclusive festival offers.
Seidelman and Sex... + wine and food pairing at the Hotel Focus Premium restaurant | Saturday, from 4:15 p.m.
Susan Seidelman is our special guest this year, and we’re making sure that her stay is as colorful and inspiring as her work. On Saturday, join us for a film-and-TV set of delights: a screening of the short The Dutch Master and three episodes of the cult series Sex and the City directed by Seidelman (including the pilot that started it all). Afterward, she’ll share behind-the-scenes stories from the show.
Admission is free. Seats can be reserved with a pass/accreditation or collected (max 2 per person) at the cinema box office during festival hours. After the screening, we recommend wine and food pairing at the Focus Premium Hotel restaurant (admission by separate invitations, available at the cinema box office; limited availability; adults only).
Festival Saturday
43 screenings at the New Horizons Cinema, 12 meetings, AI and the Future of Cinema screening and discussion, a talk on the state of American cinema curated by Portal Immersja, a meeting with Katherine Stewart about her book The Power Worshippers. Inside The Dangerous Rise Of Religious Nationalism (as part of American literature talks), Speedfriending with the Psychoczule collective, Wine and Food pairing at the Focus Premium Hotel restaurant, and—late at night—the Erupcja Party as part of the AFF-ter parties. In short: things are about to happen!
