Bengaluru | Feb 13- The 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes 2026) proudly presented Poland as its Focus Country, celebrating a vibrant showcase of Polish cinema and strengthening cultural ties between Poland and India.
The festival opened in Bengaluru with distinguished guests, including the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah, who welcomed the delegation from Poland and underscored his appreciation for the country’s rich cinematic heritage. Also present were Ms. Małgorzata Wejsis-Gołębiak, Minister Plenipotentiary and Director of the Polish Institute in New Delhi, and Mr. Raghu Rajappa, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Bengaluru.
Małgorzata Wejsis-Gołębiak at the Opening Ceremony of the 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival
A highlight of this year’s programme was a Centenary Tribute Retrospective dedicated to the legendary Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, whose decades-long career profoundly shaped global cinema. Landmark works such as Kanal, Ashes and Diamonds, The Promised Land, Man of Marble, Maids of Wilko and Afterimage were presented, offering Indian audiences a rare and immersive journey into Wajda’s visionary body of work.
Complementing this retrospective was a carefully curated selection of contemporary Polish films, introducing festivalgoers to the vitality and diversity of modern Polish filmmaking. Featured titles included Chopin, Chopin (dir. M. Kwieciński), Franz (dir. Agnieszka Holland), Under the Volcano (dir. Damian Kocur) — Poland’s official Oscar entry — and the acclaimed documentary Letters from Wolf Street.
The Polish delegation also enriched the festival’s professional programme. Ms. Joanna Łapińska, Artistic Director of the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, served as a jury member for the Asian Cinema Competition, while director Damian Kocur led a Directing Masterclass titled From Short Films to First Features: Finding a Language. The masterclass explored creative process, narrative voice, and cinematic storytelling for emerging filmmakers.
A special panel discussion, Polish Cinema and the Andrzej Wajda Legacy: Art, History, Cinema and Identity, was held on January 30, bringing together scholars and practitioners to reflect on cinema as a medium of cultural memory, social history, and artistic expression. The session highlighted the enduring impact of Polish cinema on audiences worldwide.
One of the festival’s most heartfelt moments came with the screening of Letters from Wolf Street, a documentary by Indian-born filmmaker Arjun Talwar. The film — set on a one-kilometre street in Warsaw — explores themes of migration, identity, and belonging, resonating deeply with viewers and emphasizing cinema’s power to bridge cultures.
By bringing together the timeless legacy of Poland’s cinematic giants and the innovative voices of contemporary filmmakers, BIFFes 2026 offered audiences a rich, panoramic view of Polish cinema — past, present, and future.
