Amsterdam Polish Film Festival: Tower. A Bright Day and Body

The 4th Amsterdam Polish Film Festival (31 October – 2 November 2025) organized by Polish Culture NL in collaboration with De Balie, shines a spotlight on a new generation of Polish female film directors. On the second day we screen Tower. A Bright Day and Body.

Schedule
17.00 – 18.55: Tower. A Bright Day (2017)
20.15 – 21.00: Conversation with Jagoda Szelc: Between flesh and ghost:
the uncanny side of womanhood
20.45 – 22.15 Body (2015)

Tower. A Bright Day
Dir. Jagoda Szelc, Poland, 2017, 106 min

Mula has raised her young niece, Nina, in the countryside as her own daughter. When her estranged sister Kaja suddenly returns, it sparks fear and uncertainty: is Kaja here to reclaim her child, or do her intentions carry darker undertones? As the weekend unfolds with family visits and long-buried tensions, Mula and Kaja confront the weight of past secrets, desire, and loyalty. Jagoda Szelc’s debut feature seamlessly weaves stark realism with an almost surreal, psychological intensity, offering a haunting exploration of family, identity

Talk
The screening is followed by a conversation with filmmaker Jagoda Szelc, exploring how female directors portray the body and the spirit, and how women’s experiences of grief, loss, and resilience are represented across cultures. Echoing these themes in a different register, Body turns inward to explore how grief, loss, and unseen forces ripple through a family, shaping identity in unsettling ways.

Body
Dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Poland, 2015, 90 min

Janusz, a criminal prosecutor numbed by overexposure to corpses, lives with his anorexic daughter, Olga, who is still grieving her recently deceased mother. Olga is sent to a psychiatric hospital, where she is treated by Anna, an unconventional therapist who claims to communicate with the dead. As Anna insists she has been in contact with Olga’s mother, Janusz is drawn into a séance, leading to unexpected revelations. Szumowska’s film blends black comedy with a poignant exploration of grief, the body, and the supernatural.

It is possible to purchase a day ticket or to experience the whole festival by purchasing a combiticket for all three days.