51st Gdynia Film Festival Winners: Przez Ścianę Takes Golden Lions
The 51st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia concluded with Maciej Sobieszczański’s film “Przez ścianę” winning the Golden Lions for Best Film in the Main Competition, while Łukasz Ronduda’s “Powiedz mi, co czujesz” secured the Silver Lions at the Musical Theatre.
Golden Lions and Top Honors at the 51st Gdynia Film Festival
The Main Competition of the 51st Festiwal Polskich Filmów Fabularnych w Gdyni wrapped up on Saturday evening as director Maciej Sobieszczański accepted the top honor, the Golden Lions, for "Przez ścianę". The winning production also earned individual recognition behind the camera, with Jolanta Dylewska taking home the award for cinematography. The jury, chaired by filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi alongside fellow jurors Przemysław Chruścielewski, Jagna Dobesz, Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, Mikołaj Trzaska, Marcin Wierzchosławski, and Iza Zbroniec-Zajt, evaluated 16 features in the main lineup, a slate that featured seven films directed or co-directed by women and five full-length directorial debuts.
The second-tier Silver Lions went to "Powiedz mi, co czujesz", directed by Łukasz Ronduda. The film’s lead actor, Jan Sałasiński, earned the prize for professional acting debut. In the parallel Perspektywy section, which returned for its second year with Szafirowe Lwy and an artistic contribution award, juror Jacek Poniedziałek noted that decisions for both accolades were unanimous, resulting in the main prize going to "Czarna godzina" directed by Filip Bojarski.
Breakout Winners and Genre Diversity in the Main Competition
Beyond the top two features, several titles dominated multiple categories during the ceremony. Agnieszka Smoczyńskiej’s "Hot Spot"—a co-production involving TVN Warner Bros. Discovery—collected four awards. The film earned the Andrzej Żuławski Golden Claw, alongside wins for music composers Zuzanna Wrońska and Marcin Macuk, sound designer Marcin Lenarczyk, and costume designer Katarzyna Lewińska.
Similarly, Jan Komasa’s "Dobry chłopiec", another TVN Warner Bros. Discovery co-production, secured four awards. It captured the Audience Award, alongside recognitions for editor Agnieszka Glińska, screenwriters Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, and actor Ansoon Boon, who won the award for best male role.
Acting categories delivered notable surprises across the board. Jaśmina Polak won best actress for her work in "EXOTIC", directed by Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska, while her co-star Monika Frajczyk received the best supporting actress prize. Jacek Koman took home best supporting actor for portraying Marek Edelman in Piotr Domalewskiego’s "Nasza rewolucja", rounding out a diverse list of winners that highlighted the breadth of contemporary Polish cinema.