[Filmfestivalresearch] ***SPAM*** Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent” to open, and Harris Dickinson’s “Urchin” to close the 25th BNP Paribas New Horizons International Film Festival. The full program is here

[New Horizons newsletter]

Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent to open, and Harris Dickinson’s Urchin to close the 25th BNP Paribas New Horizons International Film Festival. The full program is here
  272 films, including 129 Polish premieres, with a combined runtime of  23,937 minutes – this is what awaits audiences at the 25th edition of the BNP Paribas New Horizons International Film Festival. More than 600 screenings will take place across venues including the New Horizons Cinema, the Lower Silesian Film Center, the Wrocław Market Square, and – for the first time in the festival’s history – an outdoor cinema at Leśnica Castle.
  
   
   photo: The Secret Agent, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
  But that’s not all: exhibitions, concerts, artist talks, and special events will round out the experience. And for the sixth time, the festival will also reach audiences at home – selected films will be available to watch online (on-site screenings: July 17–27; online screenings: until August 3). Over 500 guests from around the world will be joining us in Wrocław. Today, we’re laying all our cards on the table – here is the festival program!
  The full program of the event is now available on our website, and the day after tomorrow, July 3 at 12:00 p.m., tickets and access to online screenings will be available for purchase (via nowehoryzonty.pl).
  View the festival program
   
   
   Prefer to listen? Tune into a special episode of the New Horizons podcast, where members of the festival team guide you through this year’s most anticipated highlights.
   
   
   Listen to the podcast
  Where to begin?
  New Horizons will open with one of the sensations of this year’s Cannes Film Festival –The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho, winner of the Best Director award, the FIPRESCI Prize, and the Best Actor award for Wagner Moura (known from Civil War and Narcos). The Brazilian director, master of cinema, will visit Wrocław in person and introduce the film during the opening gala. On the first day of the festival, you’ll also be able to see Resurrection by Bi Gan and Sirât by Oliver Laxe – winners of the Special Jury Prize and the Jury Prize at Cannes, respectively – as well as Dreams (Sex Love) by Dag Johan Haugerud, which took home the Golden Bear at the Berlinale. The day’s lineup also includes The Love That Remains by Hlynur Pálmason and Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, both presented at Cannes. A special highlight of the opening day will be the Polish premiere of The Assistant by Anka Sasnal and Wilhelm Sasnal, followed by the launch of a retrospective dedicated to the filmmaking duo, with the artists in attendance.
  
   
   photo: Dreams (Sex Love), dir. Dag Johan Haugerud
  As part of the Awards Gala, we’ll present the Polish premiere of Urchin, the directorial debut of acclaimed actor Harris Dickinson (Babygirl, Triangle of Sadness, The Iron Claw). The film earned two awards in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes: the FIPRESCI Prize and Best Actor for Frank Dillane.
  A kaleidoscope of diversity, or cinema that transforms
  Before we dive deeper into the details of this year’s program, we’d like to draw your attention to this edition’s visual identity, which reflects the festival’s rich diversity. The elements may differ, but the result remains the same: auteur cinema – unconventional, bold in both subject and form; cinema that transforms. That’s the slogan of this year’s edition – so see for yourselves how it plays out across the individual sections of the program.
  Films That Remained? – a look at a colorful past
  New Horizons, true to its name, looks forward: toward the avant-garde and the trendsetters. But as we celebrate the 25th edition of the festival, we’ve also decided to look back – to reflect on the festival’s own history. How to do this without falling into the trap of simple nostalgia, the old “things used to be better” refrain? Roman Gutek, the festival’s founder, and Jakub Duszyński, one of its first artistic directors, chose to return to the roots – bringing back to the big screen titles that, once shown in Sanok or Cieszyn (during the festival’s earliest editions), stirred emotions, sparked heated debate, and were at times misunderstood or even outright rejected. Risky? Perhaps. But that’s how New Horizons was shaped. We want to see how these films resonate today – what they mean to a new generation of viewers. The Films That Remained? lineup includes, among others, Julien Donkey-Boy by Harmony Korine, Goodbye, Dragon Inn by Tsai Ming-liang, and Decasia by Bill Morrison. The section will be accompanied by an archival exhibition, Memories That Remained, featuring photographs and recordings in the New Horizons Cinema space.
  
   
   photo: Goodbye, Dragon Inn, dir. Tsai Ming-liang
  Mature colors: retrospectives
  Talented, bold, and unmistakably individual – these are the artists featured in this year’s retrospectives. We highlight visionary creators whose work deserves broader recognition. This year, we’ll take a closer look at Glauber Rocha – a rebel, a cinematic icon of Brazil, who used film to confront social injustice and viewed cinema itself as a tool for real transformation. We’ll also travel to South Korea through a retrospective of Lee Chang-dong, an undisputed master and an excellent portraitist of rebellious youth and an attentive observer capable of seeing beauty even in a world engulfed in turmoil. From Switzerland, we’ll revisit the often-overlooked achievements of Anne-Marie Miéville, who has been in creative dialogue with Jean-Luc Godard since the 1970s – as his life partner, co-writer, co-director, and editor of films credited solely to him. And finally, we’ll shine a light on Athina Rachel Tsangari, a Greek filmmaker whose stories are shaped as much by the spaces they inhabit as by the characters themselves. Her newest film, Harvest, is as hypnotic and richly detailed as a Bruegel painting. Tsangari will be a guest of the festival and will take part in a masterclass.
  The Glauber Rocha retrospective is presented in partnership with the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute and the Embassy of Brazil in Warsaw. We also thank the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy for supporting the Anne-Marie Miéville retrospective, and the Korean Cultural Center for its collaboration on the Lee Chang-dong retrospective. The spotlight on Athina Rachel Tsangari is presented under the honorary patronage and with financial support from the Embassy of Greece in Warsaw.
  Up close: Polish colors. From afar: a picture of the whole world. Retrospective of Anka Sasnal and Wilhelm Sasnal
   
   We devote a special spotlight to the first Polish retrospective of the work of Anka Sasnal and Wilhelm Sasnal – outstanding visual artists who, for years, have also formed a remarkable filmmaking duo. Their cinema is intriguingly distinct, surprising in its richness of cinematic forms and literary tropes. The Sasnals will be special guests of the festival, joining us for meetings and a masterclass. The retrospective will also serve as an opportunity to engage with actors and collaborators who have contributed to their work over the years. Additionally, we invite you to a special music and film evening at the Festival Club in the Arsenal, hosted by Wilhelm Sasnal.
  Britain bathed in the darkness of night, the colors of the far North, all shades of motherhood, and much more. Here are the festival sections
  We begin our journey through this year's kaleidoscope of festival sections in an unusual way – with a trip into a world that comes alive only after sunset. In Creatures of the Night, we meet characters who abandon convention when the sun goes down, choosing instead to follow their own rhythm – often literally, as music pulses through clubs, streets, and shadowy alleys across Great Britain. The program spans from the late 1970s underground captured in Franco Rosso’s Babylon to the rave energy of Brian Welsh’s Beats. Creatures of the Night is accompanied by a visual art exhibition organized in partnership with BWA Wrocław, and the entire project, which we discuss in more detail below, was made possible thanks to the support of British Council Poland, as part of the UK/Poland Season 2025, with the film program curated in collaboration with Live Cinema UK.
  Once again, we’ll journey to the Far North in our Oslo/Reykjavik section, developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, which coordinates the use of Norway and EEA Funds from Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein in Poland.
  Expect an explosion of vibrant creativity on the border between cinema and visual art in Visual Front. We’ll explore all shades of motherhood in Third Eye: Mommy Issues, with films such as Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou – winner of an award at Cannes. In Shortlist, we’ll show that the world’s full spectrum can be captured in just a few minutes. Lost Lost Lost, our showcase of overlooked festival gems, continues to prove that the richest colors lie outside the mainstream palette.
  Craving flashy, vivid colors? Don't miss Midnight Madness. We’ll also once again spotlight the diversity of European cinema in the Smart7 section, featuring titles from our partner festivals. And you’ll find the boldest, most brilliant new voices in Discoveries and Waves, where dazzling debuts and the latest films by artists are on the rise await you. If you feel that most films for young audiences are just flat, infantile distractions—Young Horizons will prove you wrong. This section offers beautiful, wise stories for viewers just beginning their cinematic journey. BNP Paribas is the partner of this section.
  New Horizons International Film Competition
  The competition is the flagship section of the Wrocław festival. Among the twelve titles competing for this year's Grand Prix are: Her Will Be Done (Que ma volonté soit faite), dir. Julie Kowalski; The Chronology of Water, dir. Kristen Stewart; The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) [El Diablo Fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja)], dir. Ernesto Martínez Bucio; Twelve Moons (Doce Lunas), dir. Victoria Franco; Glorious Summer, dir. Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak; Kingdom (Królestwo), dir. Michał Ciechomski; One Girl Infinite, dir. Lilly Hu; Punku, dir. J.D. Fernández Molero; Holy Electricity, dir. Tato Kotetishvili; The Shipwrecked Triptych (Das Schiffbruch-Triptychon), dir. Deniz Eroğlu; The Message (El mensaje), dir. Iván Fund; and The Sparrow in the Chimney (Der Spatz im Kamin), dir. Ramon Zürcher.
  This year’s winner of the Grand Prix of the New Horizons International Film Festival – and the €10,000 prize – will be chosen by a jury composed of: Marija Kavtaradze, Lithuanian director and author of the Sundance award-winning film Slow; Lucile Hadžihalilović, French filmmaker, subject of a retrospective at the 22nd New Horizons and director of The Ice Tower, which won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale; Damian Kocur, Polish director and creator of Bread and Salt, which won the Special Jury Prize in Venice; Yorgos Krassakopoulos, program director of the Thessaloniki feature and documentary film festivals; and Barbara Wurm, long-time programmer for European festivals, curator of the Forum section at the Berlinale, and previously a selector for the main competition. And you, the audience, will also select a winner. We encourage you to vote – your voices will determine the recipient of the Audience Award, which this year comes with a €7,500 prize. The sponsor of the Grand Prix is Totalizator Sportowy, the owner of the LOTTO brand. BNP Paribas is a partner of the New Horizons International Competition and the Audience Award.
  Hits from world festivals, including nearly 30 titles from Cannes
  One color dominates here: red – like the carpet rolled out at the world’s most significant film events. The Gala Screenings and the Masters section, organized in partnership with BNP Paribas, will showcase some of the most celebrated titles presented and awarded at leading international festivals.
  Coming to Wrocław from Cannes are, among others: Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident, The Young Mother's Home by the Dardenne brothers (award for Best Screenplay and the Ecumenical Jury award), Two Prosecutors by Sergei Loznitsa (François Chalais Award), The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi (award for Best Actress – the phenomenal Nadia Melliti – and Queer Palm), and Romería by Carla Simón (Main Competition selection).
  
   
   photo: It Was Just an Accident, dir. Jafar Panahi
  Also coming to Wrocław are: Afternoons of Solitude by Albert Serra, winner of the Golden Shell in San Sebastián, Hard Truths by Mike Leigh, and Alpha by Julia Ducournau – the latest work from the author of the Palme d’Or-winning Titane.
  Outdoor screenings: Cinema at the Market Square and Leśnica Castle
  Once again, we invite you to free outdoor screenings as part of Cinema at the Market Square, in partnership with BNP Paribas. Every evening at 9:30 p.m., from July 18 to 27, in the heart of the Lower Silesian capital, you can enjoy outstanding films bearing the New Horizons stamp of quality. The program includes both recent festival hits – The Other Way Around by Jonás Trueba and The Taste of Things by Trần Anh Hùng – as well as beloved classics: The Straight Story – shown in tribute to David Lynch, who passed away this year, Amélie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and The Doll by Wojciech Jerzy Has, as part of the Has. Chronicles of The Imagination project.
  This year brings a new addition to the program: a second outdoor cinema, created in cooperation with OPT ZAMEK – Creative Arts Centre – The Castle in Leśnica. It’s a step toward expanding the festival to (stunningly beautiful!) locations beyond the city center. Join us for free screenings on two extended weekends: July 18–20 and July 24–26, also at 9:30 p.m. The lineup includes Parthenope by Paolo Sorrentino and Salto by Tadeusz Konwicki.
  The outdoor screenings are made possible thanks to the support of the Municipality of Wrocław, and BNP Paribas is the official partner of Cinema at the Market Square.
  Guests, Guests!
  To put it simply: a kaleidoscope of extremely colorful characters. Among those who will visit Wrocław this year, we will meet: the aforementioned Kleber Mendonça Filho; Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal (accompanied by their regular collaborators: Agnieszka Podsiadlik, Joanna Drozda, Rafał Maćkowiak, Małgorzata Zawadzka, Andrzej Konopka, Agnieszka Żulewska, Piotr Trojan, and Roman Gancarczyk); Athina Tsangari; Gabriel Mascaro, director of The Blue Trail; Radu Jude, author of Eight Postcards from Utopia and Kontinental'25; Ella Øverbye, who appears in Dreams (Sex Love); Sergei Loznitsa, creator of Two Prosecutors; Łukasz Grzegorzek, Natalia Grzegorzek, and Marta Nieradkiewicz, director, producer, and actor appearing in Three Loves; Małgosia Bela and Marcin Masecki, whom we will see in Paweł Pawlikowski’s Muse, with Marcin Masecki performing for the audience after the screening. We organize meetings with guests thanks to our partnership with BNP Paribas.
  Art Scene
  Together with BWA Wrocław, we invite you to the exhibition Raise the Curtain! – a journey to Great Britain, where, together with artists from the British Isles, we will experience the spectacle of the night. The project is a continuation of the festival section Creatures of the Night, and the exhibition – composed of videos, music, documentation of performances, personal manifestos, and records of communal experiences – is a metaphorical journey in search of dance revolutions, the transformative power of the night, and moments when fun takes on a political character, becoming “meaningful hedonism” and a tool for change. Opening: Studio BWA Wrocław gallery, July 18, 7:00 p.m.
  For the ninth time, the IP Studio space, run by the IP Group artistic collective, will be transformed into the Ambient Room during the festival – an immersive environment on the borderline between art, technology, and bodily experience. This year's edition, betwin, is suspended between – in a state of liminality and indeterminacy. Premiere: July 19, 7:00 p.m. The project is co-financed by the Municipality of Wrocław | wroclaw.pl.
  Festival Club at the Arsenal
  It’s just around the corner from the New Horizons Cinema. And it’s where we talk until dawn, dance until we drop, and enjoy the best company. Once again, the Festival Club in the City Museum of Wrocław – a space brimming with cinematic energy and one-of-a-kind character – will keep the New Horizons spirit alive well into the night. When the projectors go dark and the cinemas pause for breath, the evenings will burst with DJ sets and live concerts, turning the afterimages of the day’s screenings into club experiences. This year’s lineup includes a concert by Hubert., a screening of Wrooklyn Zoo paired with a performance by Zdechły Osa (separate tickets are required for both), plus concerts by Kangding Ray and Oxford Drama. And for some extra sensory delight – keep an eye out for bold pleasures from COFFEE PLANT.
  
   
   photo by Wojciech Chrubasik
  More about the Festival Club
  An accessible festival
  Accessibility is no longer a new horizon, but a standard that is settling in for good at the festival. This year, it also comes with a new partner: BLIK, which will support us as we grow and search for even better solutions. Once again, we’re organizing workshops for volunteers and staff in collaboration with the Katarynka Foundation, and reintroducing screenings that meet accessibility standards (with audio description, SDH subtitles, and on-site assistance). We’ll also offer early boarding for attendees with special needs. And if you want to participate in post-screening discussions but don’t feel comfortable speaking into a microphone, you’ll be able to use a dedicated app to submit your question at selected events.
  We know the unique buzz of the New Horizons Cinema (KNH) and the abundance of films can be thrilling – but also overwhelming. That’s why, together with Pranamat, we’ll be creating a free quiet zone on the second floor of KNH. For another year in a row, we’re also introducing content warnings in the descriptions of select films. Details about all accessibility solutions will be available soon on our website and shared in a separate announcement.
  Ecology
  The festival has a sizable carbon footprint – this is a fact we acknowledge. But there are ways (and a responsibility) to implement changes and innovations that make the event more sustainable and mindful of natural resources. This year, we’ve outlined specific steps we’re taking to move in that direction – we invite you to read more about them and join us in working toward a greener festival.
  More information will soon be available on our website.
   
  We would like to thank the Municipality of Wrocław, the long-standing patron of the festival, for its continued support. We are also grateful to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Polish Film Institute, and the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Government for their support.
   The festival in numbers
  
   272 films at the festival, including 216 features and 56 shorts
    67 countries represented in the program
    23,937 minutes – the total runtime of all films
   Over 500  guests attending (including industry events attendees)
    4,163 cinema seats
   177 people overseeing the organization of the festival
   220 amazing volunteers