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16.06/Monday
Film retrospective at the Kino Pałacowe, June 16-22, 2025
The 2nd of November 2025 will mark 50 years since the tragic death of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Italian filmmaker considered one of the most important „director-poets” in the history of cinema. Together with the Malta Festival, we invite you to a unique retrospective of five of Pasolini’s most important films presented in digitally restored versions. They are arranged in an artistic quintet which demonstrates the full range of talent and interests of the controversial director, poet, essayist, screenwriter and actor.
This is Pasolini fascinated by religion, Marxism and the possibility of revolution (The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 1964); Pasolini adapting world literature to tell a story of human vitality, sexuality and the desire for pleasure (Trilogy of Life, 1971-1974); and Pasolini as the creator of perhaps the most uncompromising and iconoclastic analysis of fascism and enslavement (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, 1975).
From his black-and-white, ascetic retelling of the life of Jesus (enriched with music by Bach, Prokofiev and American blues) to his radical vision of hell on earth in Salò, HOMMAGE: PASOLINI emphasizes the extremes that make Pasolini so enduringly fascinating and intriguing for generations of viewers. At the heart of the retrospective is the Trilogy of Life, consisting of The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972) and Arabian Nights (1974). Very rarely shown on Polish screens, these films are steeped in medieval literature and constitute a colorful, ludic and sensual celebration of human carnality and the need for love, with music by Ennio Morricone and production design by Dante Ferretti (The Age of Innocence, Casino, Gangs of New York).
Pasolini’s films are intriguing classics for today’s troubled times: bursting with energy, they inspire and surprise, and also shock with their directness and aesthetic daring.
The retospective’s special guests will be the highly acclaimed Oscar-winning British actress Tilda Swinton, and Olivier Saillard, one of fashion’s premier historians and curators, who will come to Poznan with their original performance EMBODYING PASOLINI. HOMMAGE: PASOLINI will thus become an extension of the context presented by the artists in the performance, and the kind of tribute that Pier Paolo Pasolini deserves.
Curators: Piotr Szczyszyk, Sebastian Smoliński
The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964
One of the greatest and most original biblical epics in film history. Riding the wave of the spiritual renewal of the Catholic Church and the Second Vatican Council, Pasolini searches for the seeds of social radicalism in the Gospel. Was Jesus the first communist? Was Christianity the first praise of communal life? This ascetic and majestic black-and-white film does not provide straightforward answers to these questions but constitutes an intense journey to the past: to the ancient world of the first monotheistic religions and to a pre-modern epoch. According to Pasolini, such an interpretation of Christ’s life had to be shot in Italy, since after journeying through Palestine and Israel, the director deemed those lands to have lost their archaic purity. The Gospel According to St. Matthew is told through imagery and Scripture, but also through music. The eclectically curated compositions – from Bach and Mozart to Russian music and the blues – enrichens the expressive force of this revolutionary, but at the same time traditional, biographical epic. [Sebastian Smoliński]
PROGRAM OF THE RETROSPECTIVE:
16.06, 8 PM: The Gospel According to St. Matthew, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1964, 137′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
17.06, 8 PM: The Decameron, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, France, RFN 1971, 111′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
20.06, 6:30 PM: The Canterbury Tales, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1972, 111′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
21.06, 6 PM: Arabian Nights, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1974, 130′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
22.06, 4 PM: Meeting with Tilda Swinton Olivier Saillard moderated by Sebastian Smoliński + screening of the film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1975, 117′ | The Grand Hall
All films presented in original soundtrack with Polish and English subtitles.
HOMMAGE PASOLINI: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW
20:00
/ Movie, Fringe events
Kino Pałacowe CK Zamek
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17.06/Tuesday
Film retrospective at the Kino Pałacowe, June 16-22, 2025
The 2nd of November 2025 will mark 50 years since the tragic death of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Italian filmmaker considered one of the most important „director-poets” in the history of cinema. Together with the Malta Festival, we invite you to a unique retrospective of five of Pasolini’s most important films presented in digitally restored versions. They are arranged in an artistic quintet which demonstrates the full range of talent and interests of the controversial director, poet, essayist, screenwriter and actor.
This is Pasolini fascinated by religion, Marxism and the possibility of revolution (The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 1964); Pasolini adapting world literature to tell a story of human vitality, sexuality and the desire for pleasure (Trilogy of Life, 1971-1974); and Pasolini as the creator of perhaps the most uncompromising and iconoclastic analysis of fascism and enslavement (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, 1975).
From his black-and-white, ascetic retelling of the life of Jesus (enriched with music by Bach, Prokofiev and American blues) to his radical vision of hell on earth in Salò, HOMMAGE: PASOLINI emphasizes the extremes that make Pasolini so enduringly fascinating and intriguing for generations of viewers. At the heart of the retrospective is the Trilogy of Life, consisting of The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972) and Arabian Nights (1974). Very rarely shown on Polish screens, these films are steeped in medieval literature and constitute a colorful, ludic and sensual celebration of human carnality and the need for love, with music by Ennio Morricone and production design by Dante Ferretti (The Age of Innocence, Casino, Gangs of New York).
Pasolini’s films are intriguing classics for today’s troubled times: bursting with energy, they inspire and surprise, and also shock with their directness and aesthetic daring.
The retospective’s special guests will be the highly acclaimed Oscar-winning British actress Tilda Swinton, and Olivier Saillard, one of fashion’s premier historians and curators, who will come to Poznan with their original performance EMBODYING PASOLINI. HOMMAGE: PASOLINI will thus become an extension of the context presented by the artists in the performance, and the kind of tribute that Pier Paolo Pasolini deserves.
Curators: Piotr Szczyszyk, Sebastian Smoliński
The Decameron, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1971, 112′
The anthological adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th-century collection of short stories and the first part of the so-calledTrilogy of Life. Each tale is about the sins of different people, and the stories share a mutual aim: a blunt commentary on Italian society. Pasolini metaphorically transposes nine medieval tales of his famous compatriot, highlighting their bawdy and ambiguous nature (which at the time was also blasphemous), while simultaneously revealing modern class conflicts between the wealthy North and the impoverished South. Fascinated by Italian folklore and folk vitality, Pasolini relocates the plot from Florence to Naples. Thus, the characters who speak the dialect of the Vesuvius area become symbols of economic exploitation by the wealthier North. After its premiere, many accused the author of not meeting the standards of what could have been a worthy (in this context, faithful) adaptation of The Decameron, criticizing its Marxist tendencies and anti-clerical sentiments. Interestingly, Pasolini himself took on the role of the famous painter Giotto’s protégé. [Piotr Szczyszyk]
PROGRAM OF THE RETROSPECTIVE:
16.06, 8 PM: The Gospel According to St. Matthew, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1964, 137′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
17.06, 8 PM: The Decameron, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, France, RFN 1971, 111′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
20.06, 6:30 PM: The Canterbury Tales, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1972, 111′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
21.06, 6 PM: Arabian Nights, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1974, 130′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
22.06, 4 PM: Meeting with Tilda Swinton Olivier Saillard moderated by Sebastian Smoliński + screening of the film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1975, 117′ | The Grand Hall
All films presented in original soundtrack with Polish and English subtitles.
HOMMAGE PASOLINI: DECAMERON
20:00
/ Movie, Other, Fringe events
Kino Pałacowe CK Zamek
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20.06/Friday
Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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Basinga is a company gathered around the art of tightrope walking. We are only the continuous management of our imbalances. These imbalances push us towards each other. Support us. Make us fall or bounce. To hold ourselves up, to maintain ourselves and to move forward, we create links, we build bridges, we cling to walls, to branches, to each other. Through the research, the education, the sharing and the production of high-flying participative shows, Basinga tries to develop, expand, transmit and communicate this art which, better than any other, reveals how our greatness is based on our weaknesses and our ability to combine them. What connects us strengthens us.
Show “Lignes Ouvertes,” open lines on the world… Moving forward and overcoming obstacles is not about burying our fears or weaknesses. On the contrary, it means accepting them, keeping them and progressing with them. Our so-called balances are only the sum of our imbalances.
Cultural action for a participatory tightrope walk. Cavalettist. What is a cavaletti? Without those who support her, secure her ascent, set her lines, watch her, the tightrope walker has no power. This is not a superhuman figure walking on a wire, but an association of people who make this event possible. Anchored in the ground and in the air, rich in its past and its history, the question that Basinga wishes to raise is the importance of the role of each person. For a festival, an event, the promotion of a place or a building, in collaboration with other artists or in its simplest form, Basinga offers to invent unique tightrope walks with you.
© Jérôme Narbonne – Circa festival – Auch, 2017
Cavaletti are ropes placed astride the wire and which, by being connected to the ground, stabilise the tightrope walker’s wire by limiting its left-right oscillation. These ropes can be held by people, which makes the installation much easier and allows us to give a simple but important role. Holding a cavaletti is simple. All you have to do is enter a loop that you place under your buttocks and put some of your weight backwards to maintain a constant light tension on the rope. Cavalettists are never alone, the Basinga team looks after them and helps them if necessary.
Call for participants. To the inhabitants. Without them, the tightrope walker would not be able to cross on her wire and the show would not take place. The organiser, through his contacts and the media, will be able to welcome some volunteers. Two people per cavaletti each 8 metres.
Basinga, created in 2013 in Sauve, is a company gathered around the art of tightrope walking. Through the research, the education, the sharing and the production of high-flying participative shows, Basinga tries to develop, expand, transmit and communicate this art which, better than any other, reveals how our greatness is based on our weaknesses and our ability to combine them. The company aims to turn the art of tightrope walking into a collective rather than a solitary discipline. The company has created several shows based on tightrope walking, both at low and high levels, always in collaboration with the spectators, who are involved in each of Basinga’s artistic projects.
The company is also innovative in experimenting with new materials and developing new techniques. Several shows are currently on tour: “Soka Tira Osoa,” “Lignes Ouvertes” and “Traversée”.
©️ Adam Harke – “Soka Tira Osoa” – Carnaval Sztukmistrow – Lublin (PL), 2019
Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga – Tightrope walker, Co-artistic director
At the age of 8, she joined “Les Artistochats,” a circus-leisure school in Hérouville Saint-Clair, where she learned the art of tightrope walking during 13 years. She grew up on her wire while studying until life led her to choose between the two. She chose to study and obtained a degree in Psychology. She joined the 19th promotion of the National Centre for Circus Arts (Centre National des Arts du Cirque) in Châlon-en-Champagne where she obtained her DMA with “very good” mention in 2007.
Over the years, she joined various live performance companies such as: Cie Cabas, Cie Buren-Cirque and Les Colporteurs… She participated in many events such as: the Opening of the Panafrica Festival in 2009 in Algiers, Rock en Cirque in 2011 and the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain where she obtained the gold medal in 2012. At the same time, still with her wire, she went to schools where she gave initiations to different audiences. Rich of all these experiences, she co-created the company Basinga.
Jan Naets – Technical Director, Co-artistic director
Originally trained as a special education teacher, he began his journey in the circus world as a volunteer in the setups for the Zomer Van Antwerpen festival in his hometown. It was a revelation for him. Les Arts Sauts, while passing through the Zomerfestival, took hold of him and transformed him into a general stage manager. Since that time, he has pursued various training programs and technical certifications, making him a highly skilled technician. In 2013, he crossed paths with Tatiana, with whom he co-founded Basinga. He became the technical director and co-artistic director of the company.
He regularly collaborates with other companies on projects of varying scales, contributing, along with his rigging team, to the innovation of tightrope walking.
Choir: Poznańskie Senioritki, directed by Ewa Wodzyńska
In October 2024, during a jubilee concert at Aula Artis, the choir marked the end of its first decade of highly active artistic work with a beautiful musical closure. The ensemble performs songs from all over the world – including American, Spanish, French, Czech, and of course, Polish repertoire.
Creative arrangements, colorful costumes, playful props, and the humor and energy radiated by the group consistently win over both audiences and juries at festivals in Poland and abroad. Thanks to their immense dedication and great attention to musical detail, Poznańskie Senioritki continue to win the hearts of listeners of all ages.
Over the past ten years, the choir has given several hundred performances, becoming a vibrant symbol of amateur artistic expression both domestically and internationally. Their concerts feature musical gems from global popular music, ranging from the 1920s to the present day, all presented in unique and imaginative arrangements by Ewa Wodzyńska. The group’s energetic shows – both musically and visually – ensure joy and great fun for audiences of all ages.
Poznańskie Senioritki were invited by Dawid Podsiadło, considered the most popular vocalist of the young generation on the Polish music scene, to perform at two of his concerts at Sala Ziemi in Poznań. The group was also featured in a music video by Szczecin-based rapper Łona, where they starred alongside actor Mieczysław Hryniewicz. The video won a Fryderyk award in the Music Video of the Year category.
The choir has also performed internationally, with concerts in the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, and Sardinia.
No language barriers
The event takes place in an open public space, with natural city sounds present
The performance is mobile (there is no fixed stage)
Venue accessibility: Plac Wolności (Freedom Square)
OPEN LINES
15:00
/ Performance, Open-air
Freedom Square
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“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that existed in the early 20th century in the Poznań district of Główna. The performance takes place inside a vintage Jelcz bus, transformed into a time machine that takes the audience on a journey through the district’s history. Its route passes through places of deep meaning for Główna’s residents — courtyards, bus stops, parks, and spaces filled with memory.
We may no longer have bricks, walls, or ceilings – but stories don’t end. They live as long as we remember them.
Who else will tell the story of Father Cieciora? Who’ll dance to DJ Nowak’s music? Who will recall the plays written by former residents?
— Spirit of the Beginning, “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf”
We need theatre here – a stage from which new words can be spoken, words unknown, anticipated, urgent – words about today’s world, burning issues. Are we to wait for great rural dramatists? We won’t wait. We aren’t waiting!
— Zofia Solarzowa, Theatre from the Mind
Poznań, Główna, early 20th century. It’s February, maybe the end of March. The First Holy Communion is approaching, and the Polish Catholic Workers’ Society wants to raise funds for the event. A play called The Bailiff-Poet is staged in the small hall at 38 Główna Street. The audience gathers in a brick building rumored to have once been an Evangelical church. The actors perform on a stage that was once the chancel; the balcony with its pillars and railing used to be a choir loft.
Fast forward to 2022. A post appears in a Facebook group for buying and selling salvaged materials: “Prussian brick from the 19th century – excellent condition – free.” The photo shows a building with neo-Gothic windows and half-timbered walls. Someone recognizes it: it’s the former theatre in Główna. A theatre that still appeared in the city’s heritage register, recognized by the National Heritage Institute for its historical and cultural value to the local community.
***
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that thrived just a century ago in what was once the village of Główna, and later a district of Poznań. It was a place for entertainment and gathering – home to local organizations like the Sokół Gymnastics Society, the Young Polish Women’s Circle, and local choirs. It was a shared space, created by the people, for the people – the residents themselves prepared and performed in the plays, shaping both their content and form.
Theatre on Główna was always socially engaged – a tool for community support and a voice in issues that mattered most to those who lived there.
More than a century later, that spirit of voluntary, collective creation returns. The script of “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” was co-written by participants of a community-based playwriting workshop. The cast includes residents of Główna selected through an open call. The action takes place inside a historic Jelcz bus, turned into a time machine traveling through the district’s layered history. Its passengers include ghosts of the past and symbols of the present: workers heading to the morning shift, local promoter DJ Nowak, a Polonia football club fan, a beaver from the Główna river, and a real estate investor “specializing” in gentrification.
The performance draws on archival materials – photographs, reviews, and documents shared by the Municipal Heritage Office – and interviews with longtime residents. Workshop participants also explored historical sites such as the Karlsbunne Colony on Gnieźnieńska Street.
The theatre building is gone. Years of neglect by its private owner, who was legally responsible for preserving it, led to the decision to demolish it. But – to paraphrase a character from the play – does the theatre’s story truly end when only the bricks and mortar are gone?
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” is not just a nostalgic tribute. It’s an artistic act of reclaiming history, identity, and place. It raises timely questions: Why revisit the idea of people’s theatre today? Why remember local stories and landmarks? This production is a call for community storytelling – about memory, self-organized spaces, and the socio-political changes shaping the district today. The legacy of the people’s theatre on Główna lives on as long as its residents are willing to organize and act — culturally, socially, and politically.
Additional performances will be held on June 15 and 19. Details and information on free tickets are available at: https://www.fyrtelglowna.pl/dawno-temu-w-glutendorfie.
Free tickets for the event as part of Malta Festival will be available for collection at the festival office at al. Marcinkowskiego 28 from June 19 to June 22.
The number of tickets is limited.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund and from the budget of the City of Poznań.
#poznanwspiera
The performance takes place on a vintage “ogórek” bus, which is not architecturally adapted for accessibility
To attend the performance with a guide dog or assistance dog, please reserve two tickets – one for yourself and one for the dog
If attending with a guide or assistance dog, we recommend choosing the seating area with four seats facing each other – two on each side of the aisle
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GLUTENDORF
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17:00
/ Theatre, Open-air, Street theater, Malta on the Streets
“Embodying Pasolini” is an one-of-a-kind artistic tribute by actress Tilda Swinton and art historian Olivier Saillard to the celebrated Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Performed only once a year in a carefully selected location worldwide, in 2025 the production will be presented exclusively in Poznań, from June 20 to 23. The jubilee 35th edition of Malta Festival is just around the corner: it will blend tradition with innovation, Poznań with Europe, entertainment with reflection, and most importantly, art with its audience. The festival will begin on June 20 and run until June 28.
Swinton unpacked the raiment of films past like so many treasures salvaged from oblivion – VOGUE
Saillard once again delivers a perfect performance, which allows “this assembly of inert bodies” to live again, and better – TOUTE LA CULTURE
Cinema artefacts have this one fantasy moment, and that’s it – Tilda Swinton
An original performance created by French fashion and art historian Olivier Saillard and the iconic, multi-award-winning Scotch actor, Tilda Swinton, “Embodying Pasolini” brings together a wide selection of costumes from the films of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, live, for the very first time.
Designed by Danilo Donati and prepared by the Farani workshop, outfits from The Gospel According to “St. Matthew”, “Oedipus Rex”,”Arabian Nights” and “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom” prove Pasolini and Donati’s abundant and long-term collaboration. This performance retraces the process of how the pieces were discovered, identified, and assessed until they were brought onto the stage and worn again, which was originally prohibited.
As if being a silent mannequin captive to its memory, Saillard and Swinton try on nearly thirty costumes, dresses, coats, and hats. They make a brief appearance for a daring try-on session, with audience members as witnesses. Captured in fabrics, Swinton doesn’t represent the correspondent characters. Instead, her role is precisely the lack of a role. Her presence sheds light on how the now explicitly orphaned costumes are separated from the body, the actors and the films, situated in their soulful and truthful existence.
Tilda Swinton, UK
Tilda Swinton, known for her collaborations with directors like Derek Jarman and Jim Jarmusch, gained acclaim for roles in Orlando and Michael Clayton, winning BAFTA and Academy Awards. She’s worked with diverse filmmakers including Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson, and Bong Joon Ho. In 2020, she received a BFI Fellowship and a Leon d’Oro at the Venice Film Festival. Her recent projects include “Three Thousand Years Of Longing”, “Asteroid City”, and “The Eternal Daughter”. Swinton, a mother of twins, resides in the Scottish Highlands.
Olivier Saillard, FR
Olivier Saillard is a graduate in art history. In 1995, he was appointed director of the Marseille Fashion Museum; in 2000, he became responsible for the “Fashion” exhibition programming at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and in 2010, director of the Palais Galliera, the City of Paris Fashion Museum. Since 2017, he has been the director of the Alaïa Foundation and the artistic director for image and culture at J.M. Weston (since 2018). He has authored several works, including “An Ideal History of Contemporary Fashion” (Textuel, 2009), “The Fashion Book” at Robert Laffont (2019), and major exhibitions such as “Yohji Yamamoto: Just Clothes,” “Christian Lacroix: A History of Clothes” at the Arts Décoratifs; “Azzedine Alaïa,” “Jeanne Lanvin” at the Palais Galliera; “Madame Grès: Couture at Work,” “Balenciaga: The Work in Black” at the Bourdelle Museum, and most recently, “The Ephemeral Fashion Museum” at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. In 2005, Olivier Saillard was a recipient of the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto. Since then, he has been conducting a poetic reflection presented in the form of performances. The Impossible Wardrobe, Eternity Dress, and Cloakroom, and recently Embodying Pasolini with Tilda Swinton at the Festival d’Automne in Paris; Sur-Exposition with Charlotte Rampling, Couture Essentielle…, nearly thirty performances have thus been initiated over 20 years… In 2018, he founded “Moda Povera,” a project dedicated to poetic, performative, and pedagogical clothing creation, based on the transformation of ordinary and modest clothes magnified by haute couture knowledge and techniques.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
Entrance to Hall No. 2 is from Głogowska Street via gate No. 9
Signs in Polish
Translation into PJM. If you plan to use Polish Sign Language (PJM) interpretation, please email Natalia Dąbrowska at: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl. Natalia will help you choose a suitable seat.
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place ->MTP, Hall No. 2
EMBODYING PASOLINI
18:00
/ Theatre, Performance
MTP, “Hall 2”
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Film retrospective at the Kino Pałacowe, June 16-22, 2025
The 2nd of November 2025 will mark 50 years since the tragic death of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Italian filmmaker considered one of the most important „director-poets” in the history of cinema. Together with the Malta Festival, we invite you to a unique retrospective of five of Pasolini’s most important films presented in digitally restored versions. They are arranged in an artistic quintet which demonstrates the full range of talent and interests of the controversial director, poet, essayist, screenwriter and actor.
This is Pasolini fascinated by religion, Marxism and the possibility of revolution (The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 1964); Pasolini adapting world literature to tell a story of human vitality, sexuality and the desire for pleasure (Trilogy of Life, 1971-1974); and Pasolini as the creator of perhaps the most uncompromising and iconoclastic analysis of fascism and enslavement (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, 1975).
From his black-and-white, ascetic retelling of the life of Jesus (enriched with music by Bach, Prokofiev and American blues) to his radical vision of hell on earth in Salò, HOMMAGE: PASOLINI emphasizes the extremes that make Pasolini so enduringly fascinating and intriguing for generations of viewers. At the heart of the retrospective is the Trilogy of Life, consisting of The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972) and Arabian Nights (1974). Very rarely shown on Polish screens, these films are steeped in medieval literature and constitute a colorful, ludic and sensual celebration of human carnality and the need for love, with music by Ennio Morricone and production design by Dante Ferretti (The Age of Innocence, Casino, Gangs of New York).
Pasolini’s films are intriguing classics for today’s troubled times: bursting with energy, they inspire and surprise, and also shock with their directness and aesthetic daring.
The retospective’s special guests will be the highly acclaimed Oscar-winning British actress Tilda Swinton, and Olivier Saillard, one of fashion’s premier historians and curators, who will come to Poznan with their original performance EMBODYING PASOLINI. HOMMAGE: PASOLINI will thus become an extension of the context presented by the artists in the performance, and the kind of tribute that Pier Paolo Pasolini deserves.
Curators: Piotr Szczyszyk, Sebastian Smoliński
The Canterbury Tales, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1972, 111′
The second part of the Trilogy takes place in medieval England, drawn from Geoffrey Chaucer’s collection of stories. Eight tales, written before our eyes by the author played by Pasolini, portray the erotic misadventures and superstitions of the islanders with brevity and bawdy humour. Amongst other characters we encounter an old man who is oblivious to his wife’s infidelity, victims of homosexual blackmail and a sexually deprived widow. Pasolini skilfully blends burlesque, scatological humour, apocalyptic vision and comedy of errors with a reflection on a world standing on the brink of modernity. The Canterbury Tales was filmed at more than 20 sites across the United Kingdom, and on Mount Etna. Inspirations drawn from Chaplin’s slapstick and Paolo Uccello’s and Albrecht Dürer’s paintings constitute a witty dialogue with Chaucer, in which age-old customs reveal strikingly contemporary paradoxes. The film was awarded the Golden Bear at the 1972 Berlinale. [Sebastian Smoliński]
PROGRAM OF THE RETROSPECTIVE:
16.06, 8 PM: The Gospel According to St. Matthew, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1964, 137′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
17.06, 8 PM: The Decameron, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, France, RFN 1971, 111′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
20.06, 6:30 PM: The Canterbury Tales, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1972, 111′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
21.06, 6 PM: Arabian Nights, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1974, 130′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
22.06, 4 PM: Meeting with Tilda Swinton Olivier Saillard moderated by Sebastian Smoliński + screening of the film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1975, 117′ | The Grand Hall
All films presented in original soundtrack with Polish and English subtitles.
HOMMAGE PASOLINI: THE CANTERBURY TALES
18:00
/ Movie, Fringe events
Kino Pałacowe CK Zamek
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What was happening to Chopin in the final hours of his life? Where was his mind when he began to lose consciousness, just minutes before speaking his last words?
It is from these final moments that the creators of the performance begin their search for answers — not only about the composer’s life, but also about the nature of the myth of the brilliant, national artist.
Why did Orpheus, as he was leaving Hades, turn back to look at Eurydice and lose her forever? Was it impatience, passion, or an unconscious inner compulsion that drove him to follow her into the world of the dead, only to lose her through his own action?
What moved Chopin when, close to death, he decided to give his final concert in honor of the veterans of the November Uprising — was it pride, longing, patriotism? And why had he previously refused a Russian passport, which would have allowed him to return to his loved ones and to his beloved Poland?
Fryderyk Chopin became a myth during his lifetime — both in Poland and around the world. So perhaps — as Maurice Blanchot wrote of Orpheus — Chopin “obeyed the deepest demands of the work, as though, through that inspiration, tearing a dark shadow from the underworld — he unknowingly brought it into the light”?
Did he have a choice? Could he have escaped the script of the myth of the divine artist? Or was he, like Orpheus, able to fully surrender only to the song?
With only fragments of Chopin’s life to rely on — incomplete correspondence and no definitive records of his conversations — the creators have chosen image and the body as the main media of this performance. The story is told through choreography…
The performance takes place on the Main Stage
The Main Stage is equipped with a hearing induction loop
Venue accessibility → Teatr Polski in Poznań
THE DEATH OF CHOPIN
19:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that existed in the early 20th century in the Poznań district of Główna. The performance takes place inside a vintage Jelcz bus, transformed into a time machine that takes the audience on a journey through the district’s history. Its route passes through places of deep meaning for Główna’s residents — courtyards, bus stops, parks, and spaces filled with memory.
We may no longer have bricks, walls, or ceilings – but stories don’t end. They live as long as we remember them.
Who else will tell the story of Father Cieciora? Who’ll dance to DJ Nowak’s music? Who will recall the plays written by former residents?
— Spirit of the Beginning, “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf”
We need theatre here – a stage from which new words can be spoken, words unknown, anticipated, urgent – words about today’s world, burning issues. Are we to wait for great rural dramatists? We won’t wait. We aren’t waiting!
— Zofia Solarzowa, Theatre from the Mind
Poznań, Główna, early 20th century. It’s February, maybe the end of March. The First Holy Communion is approaching, and the Polish Catholic Workers’ Society wants to raise funds for the event. A play called The Bailiff-Poet is staged in the small hall at 38 Główna Street. The audience gathers in a brick building rumored to have once been an Evangelical church. The actors perform on a stage that was once the chancel; the balcony with its pillars and railing used to be a choir loft.
Fast forward to 2022. A post appears in a Facebook group for buying and selling salvaged materials: “Prussian brick from the 19th century – excellent condition – free.” The photo shows a building with neo-Gothic windows and half-timbered walls. Someone recognizes it: it’s the former theatre in Główna. A theatre that still appeared in the city’s heritage register, recognized by the National Heritage Institute for its historical and cultural value to the local community.
***
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that thrived just a century ago in what was once the village of Główna, and later a district of Poznań. It was a place for entertainment and gathering – home to local organizations like the Sokół Gymnastics Society, the Young Polish Women’s Circle, and local choirs. It was a shared space, created by the people, for the people – the residents themselves prepared and performed in the plays, shaping both their content and form.
Theatre on Główna was always socially engaged – a tool for community support and a voice in issues that mattered most to those who lived there.
More than a century later, that spirit of voluntary, collective creation returns. The script of “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” was co-written by participants of a community-based playwriting workshop. The cast includes residents of Główna selected through an open call. The action takes place inside a historic Jelcz bus, turned into a time machine traveling through the district’s layered history. Its passengers include ghosts of the past and symbols of the present: workers heading to the morning shift, local promoter DJ Nowak, a Polonia football club fan, a beaver from the Główna river, and a real estate investor “specializing” in gentrification.
The performance draws on archival materials – photographs, reviews, and documents shared by the Municipal Heritage Office – and interviews with longtime residents. Workshop participants also explored historical sites such as the Karlsbunne Colony on Gnieźnieńska Street.
The theatre building is gone. Years of neglect by its private owner, who was legally responsible for preserving it, led to the decision to demolish it. But – to paraphrase a character from the play – does the theatre’s story truly end when only the bricks and mortar are gone?
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” is not just a nostalgic tribute. It’s an artistic act of reclaiming history, identity, and place. It raises timely questions: Why revisit the idea of people’s theatre today? Why remember local stories and landmarks? This production is a call for community storytelling – about memory, self-organized spaces, and the socio-political changes shaping the district today. The legacy of the people’s theatre on Główna lives on as long as its residents are willing to organize and act — culturally, socially, and politically.
Additional performances will be held on June 15 and 19. Details and information on free tickets are available at: https://www.fyrtelglowna.pl/dawno-temu-w-glutendorfie.
Free tickets for the event as part of Malta Festival will be available for collection at the festival office at al. Marcinkowskiego 28 from June 19 to June 22.
The number of tickets is limited.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund and from the budget of the City of Poznań.
#poznanwspiera
The performance takes place on a vintage “ogórek” bus, which is not architecturally adapted for accessibility
To attend the performance with a guide dog or assistance dog, please reserve two tickets – one for yourself and one for the dog
If attending with a guide or assistance dog, we recommend choosing the seating area with four seats facing each other – two on each side of the aisle
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GLUTENDORF
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19:30
/ Theatre, Open-air, Street theater, Malta on the Streets
Alaska Thunderfuck podbija Polskę spektakularnym show na Malta Festival! Jedyny taki wieczór, gdzie muzyka, burleska, humor i opowieść spotykają się w olśniewającym pokazie eleganza extravaganza. Szykujcie się na bezkompromisowy, pełen blasku i absolutnie niezapomniany występ.
Współautorka święcącego triumfy na Off-Broadwayu show Drag The Musical i zwyciężczyni drugiej edycji uwielbianego także w Polsce programu RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, drag queen Alaska Thunderfuck, pojawi się w Poznaniu ze swoim autorskim widowiskiem, pełnym rozmaitych muzycznych uniesień, w którym towarzyszyć jej będzie pianista. Malta Festival będzie gospodarzem jedynego europejskiego występu tej charyzmatycznej artystki.
Alaska Thunderfuck to popkulturowy fenomen – artystka obdarzona ciętym językiem i błyskotliwym humorem, która w swoich występach łączy dosłowność i kampową fantazję z zaangażowaniem politycznym, społeczną satyrą i parodią kulturowych stereotypów dotyczących społeczności queer. Nie wpisuje się w żadne schematy – z radością przełamuje archaiczne konwenanse. Korzystając z elastyczności języka, zarówno mówionego, jak i śpiewanego, wyznacza nowe ścieżki dla swojej sztuki – efektownej, pozornie chaotycznej, lecz w istocie głęboko przemyślanej i niosącej ważne treści.
M&G (spotkanie z fanami): 18:45*
Otwarcie drzwi: 20:00
Start show: 21:00
* Pakiet Meet & Greet obejmuje: wstęp na show, plakat (z możliwością podpisania przez Alaskę) oraz zdjęcie Meet & Greet z Alaska Thunderfuck (wykonane przez fotografa festiwalowego i udostępnione dzień po wydarzeniu).
Wejście do Hali nr 6 odbywa się od ul. Grunwaldzkiej bramą nr 5
Możliwość zakupu biletu OzN uprawniającego do wstępu na wydarzenie wraz z osobą towarzyszącą
Dostępny sektor z miejscami siedzącymi (ograniczona liczba miejsc) – aby skorzystać z dostępnego sektora należy posiadać bilet OzN lub zgłosić potrzebę skorzystania z miejsca siedzącego wysyłając maila na adres: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl i otrzymać z ww. adresu potwierdzenie rezerwacji miejsca
Dostępność miejsca, w którym odbywa się wydarzenie -> MTP, Hala nr 6
AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH ALASKA THUNDERFUCK
21:00
/ Music
MTP, “Hala numer 6”
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Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
Film description: Late 1980s, Baltic Coast. Ela, the youngest of nine siblings, is just entering adulthood, but already knows she doesn’t belong—neither to the rigid rules of the old order nor to the emerging new world. She finds refuge in the alternative scene of the Tricity area—until reality comes knocking.
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: IMAGO
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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Silent Disco x NOS – Trójka Polskie Radio behind the decks!
Silent Disco has become a true Malta Festival tradition – an event that has drawn crowds of music and dance lovers for years. DJ sets have been an integral part of the festival since 2009, when we organized the first public silent disco in Poland, becoming one of the pioneers of this unique format – both collective and deeply personal.
This year, we’re kicking off the festival in style – Silent Disco will be our opening night party!
Join us on June 20 at 8:00 PM at the Festival Club, where headphones will replace speakers, and the dancefloor will turn into a shared space of bodies and hearts in motion.
Behind the decks: a trio that needs no introduction – NOS, a.k.a. Michał Nogaś, Agnieszka Obszańska, and Agnieszka Szydłowska from Trójka Polskie Radio. Their musical mix promises a night full of emotions, surprises, and songs that will make you want to dance and sing – even in silence.
We promise: an exciting lineup of DJs, an eclectic soundtrack, and unforgettable energy.
Come dance in silence and feel the connection.
To love!
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
SILENT DISCO x NOS
21:30
/ Music
Festival Club
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21.06/Saturday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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Join Twin Studio on the festival terrace for a yoga session that perfectly complements the music and artistic experiences around you. We’ve prepared two special classes set to the rhythm of festival hits — on June 21 and 28. Whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned yogi, these sessions are for you!
Bring your own mat and get ready for a dose of morning energy and good vibes — we start at 10:00 AM on the festival terrace.
Twin Studio is not just a place for practicing yoga — it’s a space where everyone is welcome to move freely and enjoy the moment.
No judgment, no pressure — in the eyes of the Twin team, you’re already just right. Classes are guided with openness, understanding, and full acceptance, making it easier to take that first step and try something new.
Wear whatever makes you feel good (leggings, joggers, your favorite tee), bring a bottle of water (hydration over desperation!), and join us for a moment that’s just for you.
Twin is where the spirit of the ‘80s meets a modern lifestyle, creating a chill oasis in the heart of Łazarz.
Instructor: Ada
A yoga teacher passionate about sharing her practice. Her favorite style is Ashtanga — the one that started her journey. Ada has been practicing for several years, and yoga has become her path to health and balance, which she now uses to support others.
She completed the RYT 200 course in Bali and numerous YACEP-certified trainings.
_____
The Festival Club is partnered with Santander Bank Polska.
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
Please also bring your own mats for added comfort.
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
JOGA FLOW AND MOVE
10:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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“RoZéO” is a desire to return to the nature and change our relationship to it.
The trajectory of Gratte Ciel is imbued with the close relationship we have with the landscape. Our experiences of travelling and discovering the planet have nourished our careers as artists. These are the experiences of intimate and deep contact with nature that forged our reading of the landscape. – declare artists.
Perched on frail metal rods, carried by an imperceptible breath, they oscillate gently. They move the sky and dance in the restless air. Like the reeds of the Camargue, they interact with the landscape. They evoke images of shepherdesses, witches, priestesses or amazons. They invite to look far away and feel the breath of air.
Puffed, whispered, murmured, whistled sounds, a live musician accompanies the installation. Between pre-recorded electronic music and field recording, the score coupled with live work around the voice and multiple instruments. Suspension, immobility, slow oscillations invite to contemplation, to take a look «of the wide plane». RoZéO is a living
installation to observe slowly, a deep breath with the sky as horizon.
If we cannot always understand the cycles and interactions of the living, we can feel the matrix through these elements. Making our bodies souls anchored in nature, revealing the invisible through the perception of the moving air. Express the asphyxiation that our modernity can cause. – add French artists who are coming to Poznań for the first time.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań.
A performance without words
The performance takes place in an open space. There are natural sounds of the city
More about the accessibility of the place -> Old Market Square
ROZÉO
12:00
/ Performance, Open-air
Old Market Square
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
13:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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“Embodying Pasolini” is an one-of-a-kind artistic tribute by actress Tilda Swinton and art historian Olivier Saillard to the celebrated Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Performed only once a year in a carefully selected location worldwide, in 2025 the production will be presented exclusively in Poznań, from June 20 to 23. The jubilee 35th edition of Malta Festival is just around the corner: it will blend tradition with innovation, Poznań with Europe, entertainment with reflection, and most importantly, art with its audience. The festival will begin on June 20 and run until June 28.
Swinton unpacked the raiment of films past like so many treasures salvaged from oblivion – VOGUE
Saillard once again delivers a perfect performance, which allows “this assembly of inert bodies” to live again, and better – TOUTE LA CULTURE
Cinema artefacts have this one fantasy moment, and that’s it – Tilda Swinton
An original performance created by French fashion and art historian Olivier Saillard and the iconic, multi-award-winning Scotch actor, Tilda Swinton, “Embodying Pasolini” brings together a wide selection of costumes from the films of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, live, for the very first time.
Designed by Danilo Donati and prepared by the Farani workshop, outfits from The Gospel According to “St. Matthew”, “Oedipus Rex”,”Arabian Nights” and “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom” prove Pasolini and Donati’s abundant and long-term collaboration. This performance retraces the process of how the pieces were discovered, identified, and assessed until they were brought onto the stage and worn again, which was originally prohibited.
As if being a silent mannequin captive to its memory, Saillard and Swinton try on nearly thirty costumes, dresses, coats, and hats. They make a brief appearance for a daring try-on session, with audience members as witnesses. Captured in fabrics, Swinton doesn’t represent the correspondent characters. Instead, her role is precisely the lack of a role. Her presence sheds light on how the now explicitly orphaned costumes are separated from the body, the actors and the films, situated in their soulful and truthful existence.
Tilda Swinton, UK
Tilda Swinton, known for her collaborations with directors like Derek Jarman and Jim Jarmusch, gained acclaim for roles in Orlando and Michael Clayton, winning BAFTA and Academy Awards. She’s worked with diverse filmmakers including Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson, and Bong Joon Ho. In 2020, she received a BFI Fellowship and a Leon d’Oro at the Venice Film Festival. Her recent projects include “Three Thousand Years Of Longing”, “Asteroid City”, and “The Eternal Daughter”. Swinton, a mother of twins, resides in the Scottish Highlands.
Olivier Saillard, FR
Olivier Saillard is a graduate in art history. In 1995, he was appointed director of the Marseille Fashion Museum; in 2000, he became responsible for the “Fashion” exhibition programming at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and in 2010, director of the Palais Galliera, the City of Paris Fashion Museum. Since 2017, he has been the director of the Alaïa Foundation and the artistic director for image and culture at J.M. Weston (since 2018). He has authored several works, including “An Ideal History of Contemporary Fashion” (Textuel, 2009), “The Fashion Book” at Robert Laffont (2019), and major exhibitions such as “Yohji Yamamoto: Just Clothes,” “Christian Lacroix: A History of Clothes” at the Arts Décoratifs; “Azzedine Alaïa,” “Jeanne Lanvin” at the Palais Galliera; “Madame Grès: Couture at Work,” “Balenciaga: The Work in Black” at the Bourdelle Museum, and most recently, “The Ephemeral Fashion Museum” at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. In 2005, Olivier Saillard was a recipient of the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto. Since then, he has been conducting a poetic reflection presented in the form of performances. The Impossible Wardrobe, Eternity Dress, and Cloakroom, and recently Embodying Pasolini with Tilda Swinton at the Festival d’Automne in Paris; Sur-Exposition with Charlotte Rampling, Couture Essentielle…, nearly thirty performances have thus been initiated over 20 years… In 2018, he founded “Moda Povera,” a project dedicated to poetic, performative, and pedagogical clothing creation, based on the transformation of ordinary and modest clothes magnified by haute couture knowledge and techniques.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
Entrance to Hall No. 2 is from Głogowska Street via gate No. 9
Signs in Polish
Translation into PJM. If you plan to use Polish Sign Language (PJM) interpretation, please email Natalia Dąbrowska at: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl. Natalia will help you choose a suitable seat.
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place ->MTP, Hall No. 2
EMBODYING PASOLINI
18:00
/ Theatre, Performance
MTP, “Hall 2”
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The first Polish performance of the Italian group Dewey Dell, which, conquering stages worldwide with a combination of dance strategy and visual theater, enchants audiences with its illustrative, refined aesthetics and inviting energy.
Dewey Dell bring resonant energy to reinvent one of the most frequently revisited pieces in dance history. Lyndsey Winship, The Guardian
“The Rite of Spring” in Dewey Dell’s interpretation is a visual feast on the eternal cycle of life and death. An engrossing performance, both in energy and form, it invites audiences to revisit Stravinsky’s canonical work, juxtaposing the revolutionary music of this ballet milestone with contemporary dance techniques—both modern and popular—alongside precise visual dramaturgy. In line with Niżyński’s intent, expressed in a letter to the composer before the legendary premiere, the Italian “Rite of Spring” is ‘something new, beautiful, and entirely different.
In every metamorphosis and profound change of a human life, death is always by the side of life, appearing as a rite of passage or as an inward revolution.
In the animal and plant kingdom the coexistence of life and death becomes even more literal: death is often part of the fecundation process and life swarms on decomposed carcasses. Especially among insects, seeds, and molds, death is a welcoming presence; death is an invitation to life. The cyclic regeneration of the seasons and of the fertility of the soil are not a linear journey, but a chaotic disruption of all the elements together. Spring is a time of great agitation and the terror of existing is forever blended with the sidereal joy of being.
Dewey Dell consists of sisters Teodora and Agata Castellucci, playwright and lighting director Vito Matera, and composer Demetrio Castellucci (the surname’s similarity is no coincidence). The stunning costumes, whose movement and dynamics will serve as a counterpoint to the museum-like reverence of “Embodying Pasolini,” are designed by Guoda Jaruševičiūtė.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
The performance will include Polish-language audio description on June 22 at 4:00 PM. When purchasing tickets, please also select a free AD ticket to reserve a pair of headphones for the audio description
Touch tour – June 22 at 3:00 PM (a guided introduction to the set design with the opportunity to explore it through touch). The touch tour is intended for blind and visually impaired persons as well as children. Advance reservation is required – please email: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl
Quiet room
It is possible to purchase an accessibility ticket (OzN) which allows entry for a person with a disability along with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place -> Aula Artis
THE RITE OF SPRING
18:00
/ Dance, Performance
Aula Artis
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Film retrospective at the Kino Pałacowe, June 16-22, 2025
The 2nd of November 2025 will mark 50 years since the tragic death of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Italian filmmaker considered one of the most important „director-poets” in the history of cinema. Together with the Malta Festival, we invite you to a unique retrospective of five of Pasolini’s most important films presented in digitally restored versions. They are arranged in an artistic quintet which demonstrates the full range of talent and interests of the controversial director, poet, essayist, screenwriter and actor.
This is Pasolini fascinated by religion, Marxism and the possibility of revolution (The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 1964); Pasolini adapting world literature to tell a story of human vitality, sexuality and the desire for pleasure (Trilogy of Life, 1971-1974); and Pasolini as the creator of perhaps the most uncompromising and iconoclastic analysis of fascism and enslavement (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, 1975).
From his black-and-white, ascetic retelling of the life of Jesus (enriched with music by Bach, Prokofiev and American blues) to his radical vision of hell on earth in Salò, HOMMAGE: PASOLINI emphasizes the extremes that make Pasolini so enduringly fascinating and intriguing for generations of viewers. At the heart of the retrospective is the Trilogy of Life, consisting of The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972) and Arabian Nights (1974). Very rarely shown on Polish screens, these films are steeped in medieval literature and constitute a colorful, ludic and sensual celebration of human carnality and the need for love, with music by Ennio Morricone and production design by Dante Ferretti (The Age of Innocence, Casino, Gangs of New York).
Pasolini’s films are intriguing classics for today’s troubled times: bursting with energy, they inspire and surprise, and also shock with their directness and aesthetic daring.
The retospective’s special guests will be the highly acclaimed Oscar-winning British actress Tilda Swinton, and Olivier Saillard, one of fashion’s premier historians and curators, who will come to Poznan with their original performance EMBODYING PASOLINI. HOMMAGE: PASOLINI will thus become an extension of the context presented by the artists in the performance, and the kind of tribute that Pier Paolo Pasolini deserves.
Curators: Piotr Szczyszyk, Sebastian Smoliński
Arabian Nights, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1974, 130′
The last part of the Trilogy of Life is a homage to the polysemous and often intoxicating Arabian Nights. Shot on landscapes and the cities of Yemen, Iran, Nepal, Eritrea and Ethiopia, the film combines the authentic locations with a meandering, „story-within-a-story” narrative structure. Similarly to guests wandering through the following chambers of an Arabian dream, the stories flow seamlessly from one to another. The actors, often non-professional, take on a range of roles – including the enslaved girl Zumurrud, the poor boy Nur-ad-Din, and the carefree, insensitive Aziz – inhabiting a world that is both cruel and demonic, yet also delightfully vibrant, filled with nudity and unrestrained sexuality. Pasolini avoids exoticization in favour of finding connections between the distant past and present: in landscapes, architecture, art and the human face. Positioned between a Eurocentric outlook and an ethnographic fascination with foreign cultures, Arabian Nights is a lyrical fantasy of youth, love and the joys that can accompany bodily pleasures. [Sebastian Smoliński]
Language: Italian with Polish and English subtitles
PROGRAM OF THE RETROSPECTIVE:
16.06, 8 PM: The Gospel According to St. Matthew, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1964, 137′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
17.06, 8 PM: The Decameron, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, France, RFN 1971, 111′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
20.06, 6:30 PM: The Canterbury Tales, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1972, 111′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
21.06, 6 PM: Arabian Nights, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1974, 130′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
22.06, 4 PM: Meeting with Tilda Swinton Olivier Saillard moderated by Sebastian Smoliński + screening of the film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1975, 117′ | The Grand Hall
All films presented in original soundtrack with Polish and English subtitles.
HOMMAGE PASOLINI: ARABIAN NIGHTS
18:00
/ Movie, Fringe events
Kino Pałacowe CK Zamek
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Malta Festival expands its music lineup — exciting support acts announced ahead of performances by international headliners.
21.06: Tomasz Makowiecki x The Teskey Brothers
Tomasz Makowiecki made his audience wait eleven years for his next solo album — but it was time well spent. Released in 2024, Bailando picks up where his previous LP left off, offering a collection of mature, emotionally rich, and irresistibly melodic compositions.
In his vision of synth-driven pop, Makowiecki doesn’t shy away from 1980s influences, while also echoing the sound of bands like French indie icons Phoenix. The album features guest appearances by two major names in Polish music: Katarzyna Nosowska and Julia Wieniawa.
We’ll hear his music on Saturday, June 21 at Hall 6 of the Poznań International Fair — on the same night as The Teskey Brothers, the Australian band known for blending raw soulfulness with rootsy, classic rock and the overwhelming energy of their live shows.
Tomasz Makowiecki is a Gdynia-born producer, musician, composer, vocalist, and songwriter who has been a part of the Polish music scene since 2001. He has released six studio albums (“Makowiecki Band,” “Piosenki na nie,” “Ostatnie wspólne zdjęcie,” “NO! NO! NO!,” “Moizm,” and “Bailando”) and has taken part in numerous musical events and projects, collaborating with many of Poland’s leading artists. He has been nominated multiple times for Poland’s most prestigious music awards, including the Fryderyk Awards and the Polityka Passport in 2007.
His latest album “Bailando”, released in February 2024, ranked second in Gazeta Wyborcza’s list of the best albums of the year and appeared at the top of numerous year-end rankings. It was also nominated for the 2025 Fryderyk Award in the category of Best Alternative Pop Album.
As part of the spring tour promoting “Bailando”, the artist performed in ten cities across Poland. In the summer of 2024, he appeared at major festivals including Sea You, European Stadium of Culture, Open’er Festival, Męskie Granie, Olsztyn Green Festival, and Great September. At Malta Festival, he will perform on June 21, ahead of the concert by The Teskey Brothers at the Poznań International Fair.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 TOMASZ MAKOWIECKI
21:00 THE TESKEY BROTHERS
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT BEFORE THE TESKEY BROTHERS
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
TOMASZ MAKOWIECKI / SUPPORT BEFORE THE TESKEY BROTHERS
19:30
/ Music, Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
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“RoZéO” is a desire to return to the nature and change our relationship to it.
The trajectory of Gratte Ciel is imbued with the close relationship we have with the landscape. Our experiences of travelling and discovering the planet have nourished our careers as artists. These are the experiences of intimate and deep contact with nature that forged our reading of the landscape. – declare artists.
Perched on frail metal rods, carried by an imperceptible breath, they oscillate gently. They move the sky and dance in the restless air. Like the reeds of the Camargue, they interact with the landscape. They evoke images of shepherdesses, witches, priestesses or amazons. They invite to look far away and feel the breath of air.
Puffed, whispered, murmured, whistled sounds, a live musician accompanies the installation. Between pre-recorded electronic music and field recording, the score coupled with live work around the voice and multiple instruments. Suspension, immobility, slow oscillations invite to contemplation, to take a look «of the wide plane». RoZéO is a living
installation to observe slowly, a deep breath with the sky as horizon.
If we cannot always understand the cycles and interactions of the living, we can feel the matrix through these elements. Making our bodies souls anchored in nature, revealing the invisible through the perception of the moving air. Express the asphyxiation that our modernity can cause. – add French artists who are coming to Poznań for the first time.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań.
A performance without words
The performance takes place in an open space. There are natural sounds of the city
More about the accessibility of the place -> Old Market Square
ROZÉO
20:00
/ Performance, Open-air
Old Market Square
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Welcome to the LOCAL GIRLS STAGE – our festival DJ stage filled with sisterhood, electronic music, and shared passion!
For seven evenings, Festival Club will come alive with DJ sets by artists connected to the Local Girls Movement – participants and graduates of our DJ workshops dedicated to women and people with lived experience of womanhood. Joining them on stage will be artists active in Poznań’s vibrant electronic music scene. This is a space for debuts, experiments, and musical encounters that transcend generations and personal stories.
Local Girls Movement is a collective of dedicated women who invest their time and energy into empowering and educating women and individuals with experience of womanhood. Our main goal is to create a safe space where we can share knowledge and grow skills across various fields.
We organize free, open meetings for anyone interested, featuring invited experts such as gynecologists, sexologists, literary scholars, and professors. These sessions offer valuable insights and practical knowledge on topics that are often difficult or taboo to discuss in public.
We create a space for exchange, networking, and support.
We believe music is a tool for change and community-building.
Come by – to listen, dance, connect, and experience something new.
The stage is live every day from 8:00 PM. Free entry.
LOCAL GIRLS STAGE
20:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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What was happening to Chopin in the final hours of his life? Where was his mind when he began to lose consciousness, just minutes before speaking his last words?
It is from these final moments that the creators of the performance begin their search for answers — not only about the composer’s life, but also about the nature of the myth of the brilliant, national artist.
Why did Orpheus, as he was leaving Hades, turn back to look at Eurydice and lose her forever? Was it impatience, passion, or an unconscious inner compulsion that drove him to follow her into the world of the dead, only to lose her through his own action?
What moved Chopin when, close to death, he decided to give his final concert in honor of the veterans of the November Uprising — was it pride, longing, patriotism? And why had he previously refused a Russian passport, which would have allowed him to return to his loved ones and to his beloved Poland?
Fryderyk Chopin became a myth during his lifetime — both in Poland and around the world. So perhaps — as Maurice Blanchot wrote of Orpheus — Chopin “obeyed the deepest demands of the work, as though, through that inspiration, tearing a dark shadow from the underworld — he unknowingly brought it into the light”?
Did he have a choice? Could he have escaped the script of the myth of the divine artist? Or was he, like Orpheus, able to fully surrender only to the song?
With only fragments of Chopin’s life to rely on — incomplete correspondence and no definitive records of his conversations — the creators have chosen image and the body as the main media of this performance. The story is told through choreography…
The performance takes place on the Main Stage
The Main Stage is equipped with a hearing induction loop
Venue accessibility → Teatr Polski in Poznań
THE DEATH OF CHOPIN
20:30
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Hot on the heels of their very biggest European tour to-date, Australian soul sensations The Teskey Brothers have revealed they will be back for more in 2025. The siblings and their explosive 7-piece band will appear across UK and Europe next summer to mark the final chapter of a world-conquering two-year-long tour in support of their acclaimed album “The Winding Way”.
The band has garnered a cult-like global following over the past 5 years on the strength of their remarkable live shows and rich catalogue of songs that hark back to another time in music. Josh Teskey’s staggering soulful vocals take centre-stage while his brother Sam sings wondrously on a well-worn Stratocaster igniting the band around them. With uninhibited emotion, fans are swept off their feet by the whole experience. The refrain of 2019 sleeper hit “Hold Me” can often be heard sung into the night, long after the house lights have gone up. It feels less like a concert, more a religious gathering.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 TOMASZ MAKOWIECKI
21:00 THE TESKEY BROTHERS ON STAGE
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT: TOMASZ MAKOWIECKI
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
THE TESKEY BROTHERS
21:00
/ Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
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Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
Film description: Wanda and Janek have been together “forever.” But after ten years, their relationship feels like a phone charger cable chewed up by a dog—it technically still works, but just barely. Following yet another argument (about who knows what), they make a bold decision: one last-chance journey. They buy a sled, pack only the essentials, and set off along the snowy Baltic coast—from Międzyzdroje to Piaski. If they stick to the beach and don’t break any of their own rules, they’ll stay together forever. If they fail, they’ll never see each other again.
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: THIS IS NOT MY FILM
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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A journey of sound and literature in front of a giant screen as a stage, set in a natural environment surrounded by trees. The piece begins when day meets darkness and lasts for the time between sunset and nightfall, setting in motion the cancellation of the subtle boundary between reality and fiction.
“ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo” brings the spectator on a journey among a mosaic of fragile stories from all around the World. A play without images, made up of words and sounds without a ‘stage’. Instead of a stage, there is a meadow. In the middle of nature, a screen is erected and the sound resonates and extends without limits, linking several stories that take place in the same scenic time but in different places: an improvised rave party in a forest, the passengers of a flight and their conversations shortly before the plane crashes, the journey of 80 people on a boat from Tripoli in the hope of reaching Italy.
Tanya Beyeler (Lugano, 1980) and Pablo Gisbert (Ontinyent, 1982) founded their company in Barcelona in 2010. From the outset, El Conde de Torrefiel has stood out for its interdisciplinary approach, combining choreography, literature, and visual and sound arts. Their performances create extraordinary landscapes and visual narratives where tensions between the individual and the collective emerge, bringing them on stage in surprising ways. This innovative approach has established the company as a pioneering reference in contemporary theater, both nationally and internationally.
Since its inception, the company has created 13 stage productions, as well as site-specific pieces, video creations, installations, and theatrical audio guides for museums and unconventional spaces. Among their most notable works are Scenes for a Conversation After Viewing a Film by Michael Haneke, Guerrilla, La Plaza, and “ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo.”
The artistic work of Beyeler and Gisbert has been recognized with numerous awards, including two Critics’ Awards from the City of Barcelona: in2018 for La Plaza and in 2022 for Una Imagen interior. In 2021, Tanya Beyeler received the Swiss National Prize for Performing Arts, her home country’s highest recognition in the field.
For over a decade, El Conde de Torrefiel has toured the most prestigious international theaters and live arts festivals, particularly in Europe. Their work has been presented at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels, La Biennale di Venezia, the Théâtre de Vidy-Lausanne, the Wiener Festwochen in Vienna, the GREC Festival in Barcelona, the Festival d’Automne in Paris, and the Festival d’Avignon, among others.
Travelling information:
You can attend the performances of “ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo” on your own or take the MALTANKA train – at a unique time, unavailable in the summer schedule, during the golden hour.
The MALTANKA train will take spectators to the Balbinka station, near the place where the performance will be unveiled. Return journey is possible by other public transport options (bus no. 184, tram no. 6, 8).
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
Subtitles in Polish
Subtitles in English
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place -> Polana nad Maltaą at the intersection of Trocka and WIleńska streets
ULTRAFICCIÓN NO. 1/ FRACCIONES DE TIEMPO
21:30
/ Theatre, Open-air
A clearing above Malta at the intersection of Trocka and Wileńska streets
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22.06/Sunday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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With Dominika Kulczyk taking on responsibility for Malta Festival, she has brought a distinctly female perspective to its direction. The program has been expanded with a series of debates, workshops, and discussion panels inspired by the expertise shared daily through Kulczyk Foundation initiatives such as “Menopause Without Taboo,” “Career Cycle,” and “Balance.”
As part of the 35th edition of Malta Festival, we are proud to collaborate with Poznań-based organizations including the Julia Woykowska Foundation, Local Girls Movement, the Pogłosy Choir, and Da Vinci High School. Together, we have crafted a program of workshops, debates, and initiatives that empower women in the realms of awareness, the body, and being.
On June 22, the Festival Club will become a space for dialogue and exchange of ideas through three discussion panels: the first focusing on feminine archetypes and their symbolic and psychological dimensions; the second on the role of midwives in supporting women during the perimenopausal period in Poland; and the third, a discussion on achieving balance between patriarchy and matriarchy, preceded by the presentation of the first Polish study on andropause.
June 22, 11:00 AM – Feminine Archetypes A conversation exploring the feminine archetypes of the Maiden, Sorceress, and Wise Woman (three goddess figures), and their symbolic and psychological significance. This discussion serves as an introduction to the subject of menopausal transformation addressed in the following panel.
Speakers: Dominika Kulczyk, Izabela Cisek-Malec, Dr. Alicja Długołęcka
Moderator: Edyta Żmuda
DOMINIKA KULCZYK – Entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and social activist. Chair of the Supervisory Board of Polenergia S.A. since 2019, she has shaped the company’s strategic direction, adding a forward-thinking vision to a project originally initiated by Dr. Jan Kulczyk. Today, Polenergia is Poland’s largest private energy company, spearheading wind farm projects in the Baltic Sea with global partners like Equinor and Brookfield. Under Dominika’s leadership, the company’s market capitalization has grown over 166% to 5.2 billion PLN. Her mission spans sustainable business and philanthropy, with a particular focus on addressing the often-overlooked challenges faced by women globally. She is the founder and Chair of the Kulczyk Foundation, which has supported nearly 250 projects in 67 countries, including efforts to combat period poverty and promote menopause awareness. Dominika is also an advocate for planetary health, founder of the Polish branch of Green Cross International, and a member of the Program Council of UN Global Compact Poland. She has produced over 70 documentaries in collaboration with CNN International and TVN Discovery. As a patron of Malta Festival, she champions a cultural dialogue grounded in female perspectives. Co-founder of Values, a business psychology consulting group, she also served as Vice-President of the Polish Olympic Committee (2013-2016). She studied Sinology and Political Science at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and pursued education in Shanghai, Beijing, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Bertelsmann Foundation.
IZABELA CISEK-MALEC – Certified psychotherapist (PTPA), trained in Jungian analysis via the International Association for Analytical Psychology, soon to be officially certified in Zurich in 2025. With years of experience in developmental and therapeutic work, she has led intensive growth-oriented groups that explore archetypal imagery from mythology and fairy tales. A pioneer in menopause-focused development, she has created various training programs and conducts individual sessions. More at: www.izabelacisekmalec.pl
DR. ALICJA DŁUGOŁĘCKA – Humanities PhD, sexual education expert, psychosomatic and sexual rehabilitation lecturer at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw, and psychotherapist in the humanistic-experiential tradition. She has long focused on psychosexual education for youth and women’s sexuality. Author/co-author of numerous books and articles including: “Sexual Education,” “Psychosexual Functioning in Individuals with Physical Disabilities,” “How to Make Love,” “Sex in High Heels,” and “Gratitude,” among others. She works at the Lew-Starowicz Therapy Center in Warsaw and is active in NGOs.
MODERATOR: EDYTA ŻMUDA – Journalist and former editor-in-chief of magazines “Charaktery” and “Psychologia w Praktyce.” Host of Zwierciadło magazine’s podcast “W kontakcie.” Collaborator on TVN’s “Master Chef: Teen Edition.” Graduate of postgraduate studies in Child and Adolescent Psychology at SWPS University.
The partner of the series is Zwierciadło monthly magazine.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
FEMINE ARCHETYPE
11:00
/ Debate
Festival Club
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„RoZéO” to pragnienie powrotu do natury i odtworzenia dawnych relacji człowieka ze światem.
Artystyczny i emocjonalny rozwój Gratte Ciel jest nierozerwalnie związany z naturalną więzią, jaką utrzymujemy od lat z otaczającym światem, z odbytymi przez nad podróżami i odkryciami dokonanymi w ich trakcie. Te chwile osobistego i głębokiego kontaktu z naturą ukształtowały nasze postrzeganie przestrzeni. – opowiadają o spektaklu artyści.
Zawieszeni na delikatnych metalowych prętach, unoszeni ledwie dostrzegalnym powiewem, kołyszą się łagodnie w takt niesłyszalnego rytmu. Poruszają niebo i tańczą niesieni niespokojnym powietrzem. Jak trzciny Camargue, wchodzą w intensywną interakcję z krajobrazem. Przywołują obrazy pasterek, wiedźm, kapłanek czy amazonek. Zapraszają widza, by spojrzeć w dal i poczuć oddech wiatru.
Instalacji towarzyszy muzyk, który tworzy na żywo różne pejzaże dźwiękowe, dmuchając, szepcząc, mrucząc czy gwiżdżąc, zaś akompaniująca spektaklowi partytura balansuje między nagraną muzyką elektroniczną a dźwiękami natury, splecionymi z wokalem i wieloma instrumentami na żywo.
Zawieszenie, bezruch i ledwie zauważalne drgania zapraszają do kontemplacji, do spojrzenia „na szeroki plan”. „RoZéO” to żywa instalacja, którą należy obserwować z rozmysłem, wciągając powoli powietrze, rozkoszując się niebem czającym się za horyzontem.
Jeśli nie zawsze potrafimy zrozumieć cykle i naszą symbiozę ze światem natury, elementy te pozwalają nam chociaż przez kilka chwil poczuć tę nierozerwalną więź. Osadzić nasze ciała i dusze w naturze, ukazać to, co niewidzialne, poprzez świadomość poruszającego się powietrza. Wyrazić przytłoczenie, duszność, które może powodować osaczająca nas nowoczesność – dodają twórcy i twórczynie spektaklu, którzy przyjadą do Poznania po raz pierwszy i zaprezentują swoją pracę na Starym Rynku.
Dofinansowano ze środków budżetowych Miasta Poznania. #poznanwspiera
Spektakl bez użycia słów
Spektakl odbywa się na otwartej przestrzeni. Występują naturalne odgłosy miasta
Dostępność miejsca, w którym odbywa się wydarzenie -> Stary Rynek
ROZÉO
12:00
/ Performance, Open-air
Stary Rynek w Poznaniu
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With Dominika Kulczyk taking on responsibility for Malta Festival, she has brought a distinctly female perspective to its direction. The program has been expanded with a series of debates, workshops, and discussion panels inspired by the expertise shared daily through Kulczyk Foundation initiatives such as “Menopause Without Taboo,” “Career Cycle,” and “Balance.”
As part of the 35th edition of Malta Festival, we are proud to collaborate with Poznań-based organizations including the Julia Woykowska Foundation, Local Girls Movement, the Pogłosy Choir, and Da Vinci High School. Together, we have crafted a program of workshops, debates, and initiatives that empower women in the realms of awareness, the body, and being.
On June 22, the Festival Club will become a space for dialogue and exchange of ideas through three discussion panels: the first focusing on feminine archetypes and their symbolic and psychological dimensions; the second on the role of midwives in supporting women during the perimenopausal period in Poland; and the third, a discussion on achieving balance between patriarchy and matriarchy, preceded by the presentation of the first Polish study on andropause.
June 22, 12:30 PM – Menopause: See a Midwife!
A conversation on the menopause transition and the role of midwives in caring for women during the perimenopausal period in Poland, in the context of a project run by Kulczyk Foundation.
Speakers:
Prof. Grażyna Iwanowicz-Palus,
Dr. Małgorzata Wojciechowska,
Dr. Monika Przestrzelska
Moderator: Anna Samsel
PROF. GRAŻYNA IWANOWICZ-PALUS – Midwife, specialist in public health, gynecological and obstetric nursing, and family nursing for midwives.
Head of the Department of Specialist Care in Midwifery at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin.
National Consultant in gynecological and obstetric nursing, Member of the Public Health Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Member of the National Accreditation Council for Nursing and Midwifery Schools, Expert of the Polish Accreditation Committee, Board Member of the Polish Midwives Association, Chair of the State Examination Committee in gynecological and obstetric nursing, family nursing for midwives, and neonatal nursing.
Member of numerous expert teams on professional legislation, undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery education, and perinatal care.
DR. MAŁGORZATA WOJCIECHOWSKA – Midwife, psychologist, specialist in gynecological and obstetric nursing; Assistant Professor at the Department of Practical Midwifery Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Poznan University of Medical Sciences; Regional Consultant in gynecological and obstetric nursing for the Lubuskie region.
DR. MONIKA PRZESTRZELSKA – Professor at Wrocław Medical University, midwife, specialist in obstetric nursing, graduate of postgraduate studies in Clinical Sexology, regional consultant for the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in obstetric and gynecological nursing.
Academic teacher, Head of the Department of Midwifery at the Wrocław Medical University.
Co-author and lecturer of the continuing education course for midwives “Education During Menopause Transition.”
Her research and teaching interests include human sexuality, menopause transition, and the care of women with special needs.
MODERATOR: ANNA SAMSEL – Project Manager at Kulczyk Foundation.
Psychologist and group trainer with many years of experience in business and NGOs.
For 8 years at Kulczyk Foundation, she has led projects focused on raising awareness of women’s issues. She manages the project “Menopause Without Taboos”, aimed at building awareness about menopause and implementing supportive solutions for women during this phase of life.
The partner of the series is Zwierciadło monthly magazine.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
MENOPAUSE – SEE A MIDWIFE!
12:30
/ Debate
Klub Festiwalowy
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
13:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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With Dominika Kulczyk taking on responsibility for Malta Festival, she has brought a distinctly female perspective to its direction. The program has been expanded with a series of debates, workshops, and discussion panels inspired by the expertise shared daily through Kulczyk Foundation initiatives such as “Menopause Without Taboo,” “Career Cycle,” and “Balance.”
As part of the 35th edition of Malta Festival, we are proud to collaborate with Poznań-based organizations including the Julia Woykowska Foundation, Local Girls Movement, the Pogłosy Choir, and Da Vinci High School. Together, we have crafted a program of workshops, debates, and initiatives that empower women in the realms of awareness, the body, and being.
On June 22, the Festival Club will become a space for dialogue and exchange of ideas through three discussion panels: the first focusing on feminine archetypes and their symbolic and psychological dimensions; the second on the role of midwives in supporting women during the perimenopausal period in Poland; and the third, a discussion on achieving balance between patriarchy and matriarchy, preceded by the presentation of the first Polish study on andropause.
June 22 – 2:00 PM – Female and Male Energy
A conversation on the pursuit of balance between patriarchal and matriarchal systems, preceded by the presentation of Poland’s first research study on andropause.
Speakers:
Dominika Kulczyk
Dr. Andrzej Depko
Prof. Dariusz Kałka
Mateusz Damięcki
Moderator: Kamila Raczyńska
Presentation of the report “Andropause Without Taboo” by: Marta Bem & Sebastian Grochala, Kulczyk Foundation
DOMINIKA KULCZYK – entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and social activist. Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Polenergia S.A. since 2019, shaping the company’s strategic direction and pioneering offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea with global partners like Equinor and Brookfield. Since assuming control of the company in mid-2018, its market capitalization has increased by over 166% to 5.2 billion PLN. Her mission spans sustainable business and philanthropic initiatives, especially highlighting the challenges women face in their daily and professional lives. She is the co-founder and Chair of Kulczyk Foundation, which has implemented nearly 250 projects in 67 countries over 12 years, including menstrual poverty initiatives and the “Menopause Without Taboo” program. She also supports environmental health efforts, including the founding of the Polish branch of Green Cross International. She is a Program Council Member of UN Global Compact Poland and Ambassador of SOS Children’s Villages. As a documentary filmmaker and producer, she has completed over 70 films, collaborating with CNN International and TVN Discovery. Patron of Malta Festival, bringing a feminine perspective to one of Poland’s most important cultural events. She co-founded Values Consulting Group and served as Vice President of the Polish Olympic Committee (2013–2016). She studied Sinology and Political Science at Adam Mickiewicz University, and continued her education in Shanghai, Beijing, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bertelsmann Foundation.
DR. ANDRZEJ DEPKO – neurologist, certified sexologist, and national consultant in sexology. He served as President of the Polish Society of Sexual Medicine (2015–2023) and holds multiple academic and advisory roles in the field. He leads the Sexology and Pathology Clinic in Warsaw, treating both women and men, as well as transgender patients and individuals convicted of sexual offenses. He directs postgraduate programs in clinical sexology and lectures at several universities, including SWPS. A prolific author and member of both the European and World Societies for Sexual Medicine.
PROF. DARIUSZ KAŁKA – internal medicine specialist, cardiologist, andrologist, sexologist, and certified obesitologist. He is Vice President of the Polish Society of Medical Sexology and founder of the world’s first Cardiosexology Lab at Wrocław Medical University. Author or co-author of over 300 scientific papers and editor in numerous international journals. He is an academic educator in several Polish institutions.
MATEUSZ DAMIĘCKI – graduate of the Theatre Academy in Warsaw, actor in film, television, stage, and voice-over. Engaged in ecological activism, Honorary Ambassador for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (since 2016), and Honorary Member of Amnesty International (since 2022). Founder of the #hophopchallenge campaign for SMA treatment funding and awareness.
KAMILA RACZYŃSKA – trainer and sexual health educator with 20 years of experience in promoting well-being for both women and men. Co-author of two books and a podcast on health and sexuality.
PRESENTATION OF “ANDROPAUSE WITHOUT TABOO” RESEARCH STUDY:
MARTA BEM – Psychologist and Project Coordinator at Kulczyk Foundation, managing gender equality and health education projects. Experienced in cross-sector partnerships and workplace equality programs.
SEBASTIAN GROCHALA – communications, PR, and marketing expert with over a decade of experience in corporate, NGO, and public sectors. He lectures at the Academy of Humanities and Economics in Łódź and is a member of the Polish Public Relations Association.
The partner of the series is Zwierciadło monthly magazine.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
FEMALE AND MALE ENERGY
14:00
/ Debate
Festival Club
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Film retrospective at the Kino Pałacowe, June 16-22, 2025
The 2nd of November 2025 will mark 50 years since the tragic death of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Italian filmmaker considered one of the most important „director-poets” in the history of cinema. Together with the Malta Festival, we invite you to a unique retrospective of five of Pasolini’s most important films presented in digitally restored versions. They are arranged in an artistic quintet which demonstrates the full range of talent and interests of the controversial director, poet, essayist, screenwriter and actor.
This is Pasolini fascinated by religion, Marxism and the possibility of revolution (The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 1964); Pasolini adapting world literature to tell a story of human vitality, sexuality and the desire for pleasure (Trilogy of Life, 1971-1974); and Pasolini as the creator of perhaps the most uncompromising and iconoclastic analysis of fascism and enslavement (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, 1975).
From his black-and-white, ascetic retelling of the life of Jesus (enriched with music by Bach, Prokofiev and American blues) to his radical vision of hell on earth in Salò, HOMMAGE: PASOLINI emphasizes the extremes that make Pasolini so enduringly fascinating and intriguing for generations of viewers. At the heart of the retrospective is the Trilogy of Life, consisting of The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972) and Arabian Nights (1974). Very rarely shown on Polish screens, these films are steeped in medieval literature and constitute a colorful, ludic and sensual celebration of human carnality and the need for love, with music by Ennio Morricone and production design by Dante Ferretti (The Age of Innocence, Casino, Gangs of New York).
Pasolini’s films are intriguing classics for today’s troubled times: bursting with energy, they inspire and surprise, and also shock with their directness and aesthetic daring.
The retospective’s special guests will be the highly acclaimed Oscar-winning British actress Tilda Swinton, and Olivier Saillard, one of fashion’s premier historians and curators, who will come to Poznan with their original performance EMBODYING PASOLINI. HOMMAGE: PASOLINI will thus become an extension of the context presented by the artists in the performance, and the kind of tribute that Pier Paolo Pasolini deserves.
Curators: Piotr Szczyszyk, Sebastian Smoliński
Salò, or the 120 days of Sodom, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975, 117′
Notoriously controversial, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s last film premiered exactly twenty-one days after his tragic death on a beach in Ostia. A loose adaptation of The 120 Days of Sodom, or The School of Libertinage by Marquis de Sade, the film is divided into four parts and follows the structure of Dante’s Divine Comedy, while also incorporating motifs from the works of Nietzsche and Proust. It’s the most complete manifesto – and a blasphemous work – by the radicalized artist, through which he definitively severs ties with his own past and „walks away” from the Trilogy of Life.
Fascist Italy, 1944. Salò, a northern town and the last haven and capital of the puppet state known as the Italian Social Republic (the Republic of Salò), which Mussolini established after the fall of his regime. The Duke, President, Bishop and Judge abduct local civilians/residents to stage an orgy in the remote Villa Sorra, subjecting them to numerous acts of torture and humiliation. Pasolini abandons all formalities, rejects history and entirely disregards the future. Some claim that, with this work, the director foretold his own death. The film presents extreme scenes of sadism and murder, a naturalistic portrayal of violence and sexual deviance. Never have critiques of fascism and of other totalitarianisms been so brutal, yet so vital for Pasolini to escape his own demons. After a few screenings, Salò was banned in Italy and several other countries. [Piotr Szczyszyk]
PROGRAM OF THE RETROSPECTIVE:
16.06, 8 PM: The Gospel According to St. Matthew, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1964, 137′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
17.06, 8 PM: The Decameron, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, France, RFN 1971, 111′ | introduction: Piotr Szczyszyk | Cinema Hall 1
20.06, 6:30 PM: The Canterbury Tales, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1972, 111′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
21.06, 6 PM: Arabian Nights, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1974, 130′ | introduction: Sebastian Smolinski | Cinema Hall 1
22.06, 4 PM: Meeting with Tilda Swinton Olivier Saillard moderated by Sebastian Smoliński + screening of the film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, France, Italy 1975, 117′ | The Grand Hall
All films presented in original soundtrack with Polish and English subtitles.
HOMMAGE PASOLINI: SALÒ, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM. MEETING WITH TILDA SWINTON AND OLIVIER SAILLARD
14:00
/ Movie, Fringe events
Kino Pałacowe CK Zamek
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The first Polish performance of the Italian group Dewey Dell, which, conquering stages worldwide with a combination of dance strategy and visual theater, enchants audiences with its illustrative, refined aesthetics and inviting energy.
Dewey Dell bring resonant energy to reinvent one of the most frequently revisited pieces in dance history. Lyndsey Winship, The Guardian
“The Rite of Spring” in Dewey Dell’s interpretation is a visual feast on the eternal cycle of life and death. An engrossing performance, both in energy and form, it invites audiences to revisit Stravinsky’s canonical work, juxtaposing the revolutionary music of this ballet milestone with contemporary dance techniques—both modern and popular—alongside precise visual dramaturgy. In line with Niżyński’s intent, expressed in a letter to the composer before the legendary premiere, the Italian “Rite of Spring” is ‘something new, beautiful, and entirely different.
In every metamorphosis and profound change of a human life, death is always by the side of life, appearing as a rite of passage or as an inward revolution.
In the animal and plant kingdom the coexistence of life and death becomes even more literal: death is often part of the fecundation process and life swarms on decomposed carcasses. Especially among insects, seeds, and molds, death is a welcoming presence; death is an invitation to life. The cyclic regeneration of the seasons and of the fertility of the soil are not a linear journey, but a chaotic disruption of all the elements together. Spring is a time of great agitation and the terror of existing is forever blended with the sidereal joy of being.
Dewey Dell consists of sisters Teodora and Agata Castellucci, playwright and lighting director Vito Matera, and composer Demetrio Castellucci (the surname’s similarity is no coincidence). The stunning costumes, whose movement and dynamics will serve as a counterpoint to the museum-like reverence of “Embodying Pasolini,” are designed by Guoda Jaruševičiūtė.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
The performance will include Polish-language audio description on June 22 at 4:00 PM. When purchasing tickets, please also select a free AD ticket to reserve a pair of headphones for the audio description
Touch tour – June 22 at 3:00 PM (a guided introduction to the set design with the opportunity to explore it through touch). The touch tour is intended for blind and visually impaired persons as well as children. Advance reservation is required – please email: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl
Quiet room
It is possible to purchase an accessibility ticket (OzN) which allows entry for a person with a disability along with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place -> Aula Artis
THE RITE OF SPRING
16:00
/ Dance, Performance
Aula Artis
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“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that existed in the early 20th century in the Poznań district of Główna. The performance takes place inside a vintage Jelcz bus, transformed into a time machine that takes the audience on a journey through the district’s history. Its route passes through places of deep meaning for Główna’s residents — courtyards, bus stops, parks, and spaces filled with memory.
We may no longer have bricks, walls, or ceilings – but stories don’t end. They live as long as we remember them.
Who else will tell the story of Father Cieciora? Who’ll dance to DJ Nowak’s music? Who will recall the plays written by former residents?
— Spirit of the Beginning, “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf”
We need theatre here – a stage from which new words can be spoken, words unknown, anticipated, urgent – words about today’s world, burning issues. Are we to wait for great rural dramatists? We won’t wait. We aren’t waiting!
— Zofia Solarzowa, Theatre from the Mind
Poznań, Główna, early 20th century. It’s February, maybe the end of March. The First Holy Communion is approaching, and the Polish Catholic Workers’ Society wants to raise funds for the event. A play called The Bailiff-Poet is staged in the small hall at 38 Główna Street. The audience gathers in a brick building rumored to have once been an Evangelical church. The actors perform on a stage that was once the chancel; the balcony with its pillars and railing used to be a choir loft.
Fast forward to 2022. A post appears in a Facebook group for buying and selling salvaged materials: “Prussian brick from the 19th century – excellent condition – free.” The photo shows a building with neo-Gothic windows and half-timbered walls. Someone recognizes it: it’s the former theatre in Główna. A theatre that still appeared in the city’s heritage register, recognized by the National Heritage Institute for its historical and cultural value to the local community.
***
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that thrived just a century ago in what was once the village of Główna, and later a district of Poznań. It was a place for entertainment and gathering – home to local organizations like the Sokół Gymnastics Society, the Young Polish Women’s Circle, and local choirs. It was a shared space, created by the people, for the people – the residents themselves prepared and performed in the plays, shaping both their content and form.
Theatre on Główna was always socially engaged – a tool for community support and a voice in issues that mattered most to those who lived there.
More than a century later, that spirit of voluntary, collective creation returns. The script of “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” was co-written by participants of a community-based playwriting workshop. The cast includes residents of Główna selected through an open call. The action takes place inside a historic Jelcz bus, turned into a time machine traveling through the district’s layered history. Its passengers include ghosts of the past and symbols of the present: workers heading to the morning shift, local promoter DJ Nowak, a Polonia football club fan, a beaver from the Główna river, and a real estate investor “specializing” in gentrification.
The performance draws on archival materials – photographs, reviews, and documents shared by the Municipal Heritage Office – and interviews with longtime residents. Workshop participants also explored historical sites such as the Karlsbunne Colony on Gnieźnieńska Street.
The theatre building is gone. Years of neglect by its private owner, who was legally responsible for preserving it, led to the decision to demolish it. But – to paraphrase a character from the play – does the theatre’s story truly end when only the bricks and mortar are gone?
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” is not just a nostalgic tribute. It’s an artistic act of reclaiming history, identity, and place. It raises timely questions: Why revisit the idea of people’s theatre today? Why remember local stories and landmarks? This production is a call for community storytelling – about memory, self-organized spaces, and the socio-political changes shaping the district today. The legacy of the people’s theatre on Główna lives on as long as its residents are willing to organize and act — culturally, socially, and politically.
Additional performances will be held on June 15 and 19. Details and information on free tickets are available at: https://www.fyrtelglowna.pl/dawno-temu-w-glutendorfie.
Free tickets for the event as part of Malta Festival will be available for collection at the festival office at al. Marcinkowskiego 28 from June 19 to June 22.
The number of tickets is limited.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund and from the budget of the City of Poznań.
#poznanwspiera
The performance takes place on a vintage “ogórek” bus, which is not architecturally adapted for accessibility
To attend the performance with a guide dog or assistance dog, please reserve two tickets – one for yourself and one for the dog
If attending with a guide or assistance dog, we recommend choosing the seating area with four seats facing each other – two on each side of the aisle
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GLUTENDORF
read more
17:00
/ Theatre, Open-air, Street theater, Malta on the Streets
The core principle of holistic medicine is the belief that balance and harmony in all areas of life are essential for health and happiness. In the rush of everyday life, disconnected from our bodies, we often ignore their signals and treat them like machines. This leads to illness, which we try to fight chemically – with medication. But this approach can quickly become a path to burnout and self-destruction.
Małgorzata Dec has been a holistic therapist for over 30 years, living with an incurable autoimmune disease. She has successfully supported her own healing process – and has helped many others along the way. During the meeting, she will share how to reclaim health and joy in life. Drawing from her personal experience, she will offer tools and practices that can truly work wonders. Believe it – we are capable of anything.
After her talk, she will lead a healing meditation and wrap your bodies in the therapeutic vibration of gongs.
The gong is believed to be the most resonant musical instrument. It has existed for over 5,000 years, dating back to the Bronze Age. In Eastern traditions, it is attributed with mystical and magical properties. What makes it so powerful? The sound of the gong is not just heard – it is felt throughout the body. Its vibrations stir the cells, thoughts, and emotions.
Each person’s experience is unique. Some see visions or colors; others feel warmth, release, or stillness. And sometimes – nothing in particular. But one classic effect is deep relaxation, often leading to sleep.
Please note the following contraindications for participating in the gong session:
individuals with pacemakers
pregnant women (please consult with the facilitator)
anyone under the influence of alcohol
individuals with epilepsy
EVENT PROGRAM:
5:00 PM – Talk
6:30 PM – Healing meditation
7:00 PM – Singing bowls and gong concert
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
Please also bring your own mats and blankets for added comfort.
Support from an assistant and audio describer is available during the event – if you require this support, please email: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl
Venue accessibility -> Festival Centre. UAP New Stage Gallery
OVERCOMING ILLNESS – TALK, MEDITATION, GONG CONCERT
17:00
/ Workshops
Atrium UAP
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“Embodying Pasolini” is an one-of-a-kind artistic tribute by actress Tilda Swinton and art historian Olivier Saillard to the celebrated Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Performed only once a year in a carefully selected location worldwide, in 2025 the production will be presented exclusively in Poznań, from June 20 to 23. The jubilee 35th edition of Malta Festival is just around the corner: it will blend tradition with innovation, Poznań with Europe, entertainment with reflection, and most importantly, art with its audience. The festival will begin on June 20 and run until June 28.
Swinton unpacked the raiment of films past like so many treasures salvaged from oblivion – VOGUE
Saillard once again delivers a perfect performance, which allows “this assembly of inert bodies” to live again, and better – TOUTE LA CULTURE
Cinema artefacts have this one fantasy moment, and that’s it – Tilda Swinton
An original performance created by French fashion and art historian Olivier Saillard and the iconic, multi-award-winning Scotch actor, Tilda Swinton, “Embodying Pasolini” brings together a wide selection of costumes from the films of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, live, for the very first time.
Designed by Danilo Donati and prepared by the Farani workshop, outfits from The Gospel According to “St. Matthew”, “Oedipus Rex”,”Arabian Nights” and “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom” prove Pasolini and Donati’s abundant and long-term collaboration. This performance retraces the process of how the pieces were discovered, identified, and assessed until they were brought onto the stage and worn again, which was originally prohibited.
As if being a silent mannequin captive to its memory, Saillard and Swinton try on nearly thirty costumes, dresses, coats, and hats. They make a brief appearance for a daring try-on session, with audience members as witnesses. Captured in fabrics, Swinton doesn’t represent the correspondent characters. Instead, her role is precisely the lack of a role. Her presence sheds light on how the now explicitly orphaned costumes are separated from the body, the actors and the films, situated in their soulful and truthful existence.
Tilda Swinton, UK
Tilda Swinton, known for her collaborations with directors like Derek Jarman and Jim Jarmusch, gained acclaim for roles in Orlando and Michael Clayton, winning BAFTA and Academy Awards. She’s worked with diverse filmmakers including Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson, and Bong Joon Ho. In 2020, she received a BFI Fellowship and a Leon d’Oro at the Venice Film Festival. Her recent projects include “Three Thousand Years Of Longing”, “Asteroid City”, and “The Eternal Daughter”. Swinton, a mother of twins, resides in the Scottish Highlands.
Olivier Saillard, FR
Olivier Saillard is a graduate in art history. In 1995, he was appointed director of the Marseille Fashion Museum; in 2000, he became responsible for the “Fashion” exhibition programming at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and in 2010, director of the Palais Galliera, the City of Paris Fashion Museum. Since 2017, he has been the director of the Alaïa Foundation and the artistic director for image and culture at J.M. Weston (since 2018). He has authored several works, including “An Ideal History of Contemporary Fashion” (Textuel, 2009), “The Fashion Book” at Robert Laffont (2019), and major exhibitions such as “Yohji Yamamoto: Just Clothes,” “Christian Lacroix: A History of Clothes” at the Arts Décoratifs; “Azzedine Alaïa,” “Jeanne Lanvin” at the Palais Galliera; “Madame Grès: Couture at Work,” “Balenciaga: The Work in Black” at the Bourdelle Museum, and most recently, “The Ephemeral Fashion Museum” at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. In 2005, Olivier Saillard was a recipient of the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto. Since then, he has been conducting a poetic reflection presented in the form of performances. The Impossible Wardrobe, Eternity Dress, and Cloakroom, and recently Embodying Pasolini with Tilda Swinton at the Festival d’Automne in Paris; Sur-Exposition with Charlotte Rampling, Couture Essentielle…, nearly thirty performances have thus been initiated over 20 years… In 2018, he founded “Moda Povera,” a project dedicated to poetic, performative, and pedagogical clothing creation, based on the transformation of ordinary and modest clothes magnified by haute couture knowledge and techniques.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
Entrance to Hall No. 2 is from Głogowska Street via gate No. 9
Signs in Polish
Translation into PJM. If you plan to use Polish Sign Language (PJM) interpretation, please email Natalia Dąbrowska at: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl. Natalia will help you choose a suitable seat.
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place ->MTP, Hall No. 2
EMBODYING PASOLINI
18:00
/ Theatre, Performance
MTP, “Hall 2”
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What was happening to Chopin in the final hours of his life? Where was his mind when he began to lose consciousness, just minutes before speaking his last words?
It is from these final moments that the creators of the performance begin their search for answers — not only about the composer’s life, but also about the nature of the myth of the brilliant, national artist.
Why did Orpheus, as he was leaving Hades, turn back to look at Eurydice and lose her forever? Was it impatience, passion, or an unconscious inner compulsion that drove him to follow her into the world of the dead, only to lose her through his own action?
What moved Chopin when, close to death, he decided to give his final concert in honor of the veterans of the November Uprising — was it pride, longing, patriotism? And why had he previously refused a Russian passport, which would have allowed him to return to his loved ones and to his beloved Poland?
Fryderyk Chopin became a myth during his lifetime — both in Poland and around the world. So perhaps — as Maurice Blanchot wrote of Orpheus — Chopin “obeyed the deepest demands of the work, as though, through that inspiration, tearing a dark shadow from the underworld — he unknowingly brought it into the light”?
Did he have a choice? Could he have escaped the script of the myth of the divine artist? Or was he, like Orpheus, able to fully surrender only to the song?
With only fragments of Chopin’s life to rely on — incomplete correspondence and no definitive records of his conversations — the creators have chosen image and the body as the main media of this performance. The story is told through choreography…
The performance takes place on the Main Stage
The Main Stage is equipped with a hearing induction loop
Venue accessibility → Teatr Polski in Poznań
THE DEATH OF CHOPIN
18:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Malta Festival expands its music lineup with exciting support acts ahead of performances by global stars!
22.06: Robert Cichy z FINK
Robert Cichy has been active on the Polish music scene for over 20 years. He has contributed to recordings by artists such as Brodka, Ania Dąbrowska, Mrozu, and Ania Rusowicz, and was a co-founder of the bands June and Chilli. In 2018, he made his solo debut and surprised audiences with a new sound referencing classic American folk and blues. Cichy refreshes these styles using modern tools and follows his own artistic path. His emotionally charged performance will be a perfect warm-up before Fink’s concert on June 22.
Robert Cichy – vocalist, guitarist, composer, and producer, and a two-time Fryderyk Award winner in the blues category for his original albums Smack and Dirty Sun. He has participated in the recording of over one hundred albums by Polish artists. He has performed at major festivals in Poland and internationally, including in Japan, the USA, Turkey, and Mauritius.
His concerts are full of energy and authenticity, and he is known for his ability to transcend genre boundaries, making him one of the most original and inspiring musicians on the Polish scene.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 ROBERT CICHY
21:00 FINK
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT BEFORE FINK
Accessibility
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
ROBERT CICHY / SUPPORT BEFORE FINK
read more
19:30
/ Music, Concert
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that existed in the early 20th century in the Poznań district of Główna. The performance takes place inside a vintage Jelcz bus, transformed into a time machine that takes the audience on a journey through the district’s history. Its route passes through places of deep meaning for Główna’s residents — courtyards, bus stops, parks, and spaces filled with memory.
We may no longer have bricks, walls, or ceilings – but stories don’t end. They live as long as we remember them.
Who else will tell the story of Father Cieciora? Who’ll dance to DJ Nowak’s music? Who will recall the plays written by former residents?
— Spirit of the Beginning, “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf”
We need theatre here – a stage from which new words can be spoken, words unknown, anticipated, urgent – words about today’s world, burning issues. Are we to wait for great rural dramatists? We won’t wait. We aren’t waiting!
— Zofia Solarzowa, Theatre from the Mind
Poznań, Główna, early 20th century. It’s February, maybe the end of March. The First Holy Communion is approaching, and the Polish Catholic Workers’ Society wants to raise funds for the event. A play called The Bailiff-Poet is staged in the small hall at 38 Główna Street. The audience gathers in a brick building rumored to have once been an Evangelical church. The actors perform on a stage that was once the chancel; the balcony with its pillars and railing used to be a choir loft.
Fast forward to 2022. A post appears in a Facebook group for buying and selling salvaged materials: “Prussian brick from the 19th century – excellent condition – free.” The photo shows a building with neo-Gothic windows and half-timbered walls. Someone recognizes it: it’s the former theatre in Główna. A theatre that still appeared in the city’s heritage register, recognized by the National Heritage Institute for its historical and cultural value to the local community.
***
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that thrived just a century ago in what was once the village of Główna, and later a district of Poznań. It was a place for entertainment and gathering – home to local organizations like the Sokół Gymnastics Society, the Young Polish Women’s Circle, and local choirs. It was a shared space, created by the people, for the people – the residents themselves prepared and performed in the plays, shaping both their content and form.
Theatre on Główna was always socially engaged – a tool for community support and a voice in issues that mattered most to those who lived there.
More than a century later, that spirit of voluntary, collective creation returns. The script of “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” was co-written by participants of a community-based playwriting workshop. The cast includes residents of Główna selected through an open call. The action takes place inside a historic Jelcz bus, turned into a time machine traveling through the district’s layered history. Its passengers include ghosts of the past and symbols of the present: workers heading to the morning shift, local promoter DJ Nowak, a Polonia football club fan, a beaver from the Główna river, and a real estate investor “specializing” in gentrification.
The performance draws on archival materials – photographs, reviews, and documents shared by the Municipal Heritage Office – and interviews with longtime residents. Workshop participants also explored historical sites such as the Karlsbunne Colony on Gnieźnieńska Street.
The theatre building is gone. Years of neglect by its private owner, who was legally responsible for preserving it, led to the decision to demolish it. But – to paraphrase a character from the play – does the theatre’s story truly end when only the bricks and mortar are gone?
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” is not just a nostalgic tribute. It’s an artistic act of reclaiming history, identity, and place. It raises timely questions: Why revisit the idea of people’s theatre today? Why remember local stories and landmarks? This production is a call for community storytelling – about memory, self-organized spaces, and the socio-political changes shaping the district today. The legacy of the people’s theatre on Główna lives on as long as its residents are willing to organize and act — culturally, socially, and politically.
Additional performances will be held on June 15 and 19. Details and information on free tickets are available at: https://www.fyrtelglowna.pl/dawno-temu-w-glutendorfie.
Free tickets for the event as part of Malta Festival will be available for collection at the festival office at al. Marcinkowskiego 28 from June 19 to June 22.
The number of tickets is limited.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund and from the budget of the City of Poznań.
#poznanwspiera
The performance takes place on a vintage “ogórek” bus, which is not architecturally adapted for accessibility
To attend the performance with a guide dog or assistance dog, please reserve two tickets – one for yourself and one for the dog
If attending with a guide or assistance dog, we recommend choosing the seating area with four seats facing each other – two on each side of the aisle
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GLUTENDORF
read more
19:30
/ Theatre, Open-air, Street theater, Malta on the Streets
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that existed in the early 20th century in the Poznań district of Główna. The performance takes place inside a vintage Jelcz bus, transformed into a time machine that takes the audience on a journey through the district’s history. Its route passes through places of deep meaning for Główna’s residents — courtyards, bus stops, parks, and spaces filled with memory.
We may no longer have bricks, walls, or ceilings – but stories don’t end. They live as long as we remember them.
Who else will tell the story of Father Cieciora? Who’ll dance to DJ Nowak’s music? Who will recall the plays written by former residents?
— Spirit of the Beginning, “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf”
We need theatre here – a stage from which new words can be spoken, words unknown, anticipated, urgent – words about today’s world, burning issues. Are we to wait for great rural dramatists? We won’t wait. We aren’t waiting!
— Zofia Solarzowa, Theatre from the Mind
Poznań, Główna, early 20th century. It’s February, maybe the end of March. The First Holy Communion is approaching, and the Polish Catholic Workers’ Society wants to raise funds for the event. A play called The Bailiff-Poet is staged in the small hall at 38 Główna Street. The audience gathers in a brick building rumored to have once been an Evangelical church. The actors perform on a stage that was once the chancel; the balcony with its pillars and railing used to be a choir loft.
Fast forward to 2022. A post appears in a Facebook group for buying and selling salvaged materials: “Prussian brick from the 19th century – excellent condition – free.” The photo shows a building with neo-Gothic windows and half-timbered walls. Someone recognizes it: it’s the former theatre in Główna. A theatre that still appeared in the city’s heritage register, recognized by the National Heritage Institute for its historical and cultural value to the local community.
***
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” revives the idea of a people’s theatre that thrived just a century ago in what was once the village of Główna, and later a district of Poznań. It was a place for entertainment and gathering – home to local organizations like the Sokół Gymnastics Society, the Young Polish Women’s Circle, and local choirs. It was a shared space, created by the people, for the people – the residents themselves prepared and performed in the plays, shaping both their content and form.
Theatre on Główna was always socially engaged – a tool for community support and a voice in issues that mattered most to those who lived there.
More than a century later, that spirit of voluntary, collective creation returns. The script of “Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” was co-written by participants of a community-based playwriting workshop. The cast includes residents of Główna selected through an open call. The action takes place inside a historic Jelcz bus, turned into a time machine traveling through the district’s layered history. Its passengers include ghosts of the past and symbols of the present: workers heading to the morning shift, local promoter DJ Nowak, a Polonia football club fan, a beaver from the Główna river, and a real estate investor “specializing” in gentrification.
The performance draws on archival materials – photographs, reviews, and documents shared by the Municipal Heritage Office – and interviews with longtime residents. Workshop participants also explored historical sites such as the Karlsbunne Colony on Gnieźnieńska Street.
The theatre building is gone. Years of neglect by its private owner, who was legally responsible for preserving it, led to the decision to demolish it. But – to paraphrase a character from the play – does the theatre’s story truly end when only the bricks and mortar are gone?
“Once Upon a Time in Glutendorf” is not just a nostalgic tribute. It’s an artistic act of reclaiming history, identity, and place. It raises timely questions: Why revisit the idea of people’s theatre today? Why remember local stories and landmarks? This production is a call for community storytelling – about memory, self-organized spaces, and the socio-political changes shaping the district today. The legacy of the people’s theatre on Główna lives on as long as its residents are willing to organize and act — culturally, socially, and politically.
Additional performances will be held on June 15 and 19. Details and information on free tickets are available at: https://www.fyrtelglowna.pl/dawno-temu-w-glutendorfie.
Free tickets for the event as part of Malta Festival will be available for collection at the festival office at al. Marcinkowskiego 28 from June 19 to June 22.
The number of tickets is limited.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund and from the budget of the City of Poznań.
#poznanwspiera
The performance takes place on a vintage “ogórek” bus, which is not architecturally adapted for accessibility
To attend the performance with a guide dog or assistance dog, please reserve two tickets – one for yourself and one for the dog
If attending with a guide or assistance dog, we recommend choosing the seating area with four seats facing each other – two on each side of the aisle
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GLUTENDORF
read more
19:30
/ Theatre, Open-air, Street theater, Malta on the Streets
“RoZéO” is a desire to return to the nature and change our relationship to it.
The trajectory of Gratte Ciel is imbued with the close relationship we have with the landscape. Our experiences of travelling and discovering the planet have nourished our careers as artists. These are the experiences of intimate and deep contact with nature that forged our reading of the landscape. – declare artists.
Perched on frail metal rods, carried by an imperceptible breath, they oscillate gently. They move the sky and dance in the restless air. Like the reeds of the Camargue, they interact with the landscape. They evoke images of shepherdesses, witches, priestesses or amazons. They invite to look far away and feel the breath of air.
Puffed, whispered, murmured, whistled sounds, a live musician accompanies the installation. Between pre-recorded electronic music and field recording, the score coupled with live work around the voice and multiple instruments. Suspension, immobility, slow oscillations invite to contemplation, to take a look «of the wide plane». RoZéO is a living
installation to observe slowly, a deep breath with the sky as horizon.
If we cannot always understand the cycles and interactions of the living, we can feel the matrix through these elements. Making our bodies souls anchored in nature, revealing the invisible through the perception of the moving air. Express the asphyxiation that our modernity can cause. – add French artists who are coming to Poznań for the first time.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań.
A performance without words
The performance takes place in an open space. There are natural sounds of the city
More about the accessibility of the place -> Old Market Square
ROZÉO
20:00
/ Performance, Open-air
Old Market Square
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Welcome to the LOCAL GIRLS STAGE – our festival DJ stage filled with sisterhood, electronic music, and shared passion!
For seven evenings, Festival Club will come alive with DJ sets by artists connected to the Local Girls Movement – participants and graduates of our DJ workshops dedicated to women and people with lived experience of womanhood. Joining them on stage will be artists active in Poznań’s vibrant electronic music scene. This is a space for debuts, experiments, and musical encounters that transcend generations and personal stories.
Local Girls Movement is a collective of dedicated women who invest their time and energy into empowering and educating women and individuals with experience of womanhood. Our main goal is to create a safe space where we can share knowledge and grow skills across various fields.
We organize free, open meetings for anyone interested, featuring invited experts such as gynecologists, sexologists, literary scholars, and professors. These sessions offer valuable insights and practical knowledge on topics that are often difficult or taboo to discuss in public.
We create a space for exchange, networking, and support.
We believe music is a tool for change and community-building.
Come by – to listen, dance, connect, and experience something new.
The stage is live every day from 8:00 PM. Free entry.
LOCAL GIRLS STAGE
20:00
/ Music
Festival Club
read more
Fin Greenall is an enthusiast. Rather more so than you might expect, in fact, from someone with more than ten albums under their belt. This is someone who’s lived a life-and-a-half of hard graft and hard gigging in electronic, acoustic and even pop music already – that enthusiasm bubbles like someone half his age discovering the buzz of musical and cultural engagement for the first time.
Fin, currently a Berlin resident, was born in Cornwall but found himself growing up in 80’s Bristol, in the midst of it’s famous cultural explosion. “It was an epic place to grow up,” Fin says. “The Rare Groove revival, the outdoor rave scene, pirate radio – you’d see Massive Attack driving around, you’d see Tricky in the clubs, you’d have your mind blown by a DJ playing ‘LFO’ one moment then by seeing Horace Andy… I was skateboarding too, I was right IN it, and we were so, so proud to be from this place with its own thing”.
After signing while at college to legendary rave label Kickin’ Records and discovering that Electronic music wasn’t some kind of magical dark art – in fact it was achievable with no experience and a student loan – he was introduced to the concept of London, the concept of DJ’ing for real, and the record label Ninja Tune Records that he signed to in 1996.
Records followed, first for Ninja’s experimental sub label N-TONE which gave Fin leeway to swerve from jungle to easy listening and back, then Ninja Tune proper, and the Fink Mark 1 sound fell into place. There was still plenty of spacey electronica present – but this was far truer to Fin’s West Country roots: the swing and soul of Bristol music were shot through the 2000 album Fresh Produce, which remains a sparkling example of classic Ninja downtempo funkiness.
All this time Fin was DJing internationally, hustling at his day job, and generally enjoying “the clothes, the music, out every night, and everything else that you want when you’re in your 20s.” But, it transpired, this wasn’t sustainable. “I was burning the candle at both ends,” he says, “trying to prove something to myself, picking up some bad habits, but looking up the DJ tree and not really seeing anyone I wanted to be. At the same time I was looking at my job and thinking, ‘do I really want to climb that ladder and be the CEO of something?'”
His escape came through songs. As a hip beatmaker he’d find himself asked to produce up and coming singers, including a then unknown, teenaged Amy Winehouse. Rather than just provide backing tracks, he found himself writing with her, and as with production a world opened up: songwriting wasn’t a “dark art” either – it was a skill to learn like any other. One of the tracks from this session was released without permission on her posthumous “Lioness” album. Meanwhile he was rediscovering his dad’s records, and deepening his own love of acts like John Martyn, discovering “something honest, something filterless” about acoustic music and live music. Gigs by acts as diverse as Radiohead, System Of A Down and 80s folk legend Dick Gaughan turned his head: “this was what I wanted, not the same club spaces night in night out, week in week out.”
So he gave it all up, and scraping by on savings and tiny gigs, the album that would become 2006’s Biscuits for Breakfast was slowly fomed in his attic, with 3 mics and no budget, honing a sound that still had that Bristolian low-slung groove – a little beatbox here, some Hammond organ soul licks there – but with all electronic elements discarded, and the songs paramount. But Ninja Tune stuck by him – in fact it was them that pushed him to fully trust his songwriting; he’d imagined he’d combine beats and songs but Skev and Peter at the label told him that if he wanted to “go singer-songwriter” it should be all or nothing.
2009’s home-recorded “Sort of Revolution” was “the break even album”, 2011’s “Perfect Darkness” upped the creative ambition and solidified Fink as a player in the sync game, and 2014’s “Hard Believer” record led to world tours, festival seasons and the life of a road-worn troubadour. As a songwriter he picked up 3 BMI song-writing awards for this work with John Legend on his “Evolver” record, including co-writing his #1 single “Greenlight”, and contributing tracks to his “12 Years A Slave” soundtrack, and working with Ava DuVernay on her screen debut “Middle of Nowhere” and the Oscar winning “Selma”.
3 critically lauded studio albums recorded with legendary producer Flood (Depeche Mode, U2, Nick Cave) followed after he heard the demos for Fink’s Blues project – “Sunday Night Blues Club”(2017) , “Resurgam” (2017) and “Bloom Innocent”(2019), along with their associated world tours, set Fink as a stalwart of the Indy scene, with a worldwide fanbase whose loyalty in unparalleled.
In the world of Sync, he has had so many TV shows and movies it is impossible to count – from True Detective, Suits, The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Lie To Me, Teen Wolf, Blacklist in the TV world to Til Schweiger’s “Honig Im Kopf”, Will Smith’s “Collateral Beauty” and Lasse Halstrom’s “Dear John.”
Oh – and his new album, “Beauty In Your Wake”, recorded in a church in his beloved Cornwall in the Autumn, is released in 2024 accompanied by a tour that, in his own words, “will probably never end!”….
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 ROBERT CICHY
21:00 FINK
SUPPORT: FINK
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the place where the event takes place -> MTP Hall 6
FINK
21:00
/ Music, Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
read more
Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
Film description: “Other People“ is a hypnotic tale about the desperate search for love. A story of people entangled in a love triangle set in a world of crumbling relationships, lifetime mortgages, meal-prep diets, cheap wine, and the relentless noise of social media. A story of people lost in the labyrinth of boulevards and backstreets of Warsaw—a city pulsing to the rhythm of rap. The characters’ everyday struggles are observed by a sharp-eyed narrator (played by Sebastian Fabijański).
At first glance, Kamil (Jacek Beler) and Iwona (Sonia Bohosiewicz) have nothing in common. Iwona is a bored and unhappy wife of Maciek (Marek Kalita), living in luxury financed by credit. Kamil is 32, has a sexy girlfriend, Anecia (Magdalena Koleśnik), but still lives with his mother (Beata Kawka) in a concrete block, chasing his dream of becoming a rapper and picking up odd jobs. Their relationship may seem meaningless at first—but through it, both begin to see their choices and the people around them in a new light.
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: OTHER PEOPLE
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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A journey of sound and literature in front of a giant screen as a stage, set in a natural environment surrounded by trees. The piece begins when day meets darkness and lasts for the time between sunset and nightfall, setting in motion the cancellation of the subtle boundary between reality and fiction.
“ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo” brings the spectator on a journey among a mosaic of fragile stories from all around the World. A play without images, made up of words and sounds without a ‘stage’. Instead of a stage, there is a meadow. In the middle of nature, a screen is erected and the sound resonates and extends without limits, linking several stories that take place in the same scenic time but in different places: an improvised rave party in a forest, the passengers of a flight and their conversations shortly before the plane crashes, the journey of 80 people on a boat from Tripoli in the hope of reaching Italy.
Tanya Beyeler (Lugano, 1980) and Pablo Gisbert (Ontinyent, 1982) founded their company in Barcelona in 2010. From the outset, El Conde de Torrefiel has stood out for its interdisciplinary approach, combining choreography, literature, and visual and sound arts. Their performances create extraordinary landscapes and visual narratives where tensions between the individual and the collective emerge, bringing them on stage in surprising ways. This innovative approach has established the company as a pioneering reference in contemporary theater, both nationally and internationally.
Since its inception, the company has created 13 stage productions, as well as site-specific pieces, video creations, installations, and theatrical audio guides for museums and unconventional spaces. Among their most notable works are Scenes for a Conversation After Viewing a Film by Michael Haneke, Guerrilla, La Plaza, and “ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo.”
The artistic work of Beyeler and Gisbert has been recognized with numerous awards, including two Critics’ Awards from the City of Barcelona: in2018 for La Plaza and in 2022 for Una Imagen interior. In 2021, Tanya Beyeler received the Swiss National Prize for Performing Arts, her home country’s highest recognition in the field.
For over a decade, El Conde de Torrefiel has toured the most prestigious international theaters and live arts festivals, particularly in Europe. Their work has been presented at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels, La Biennale di Venezia, the Théâtre de Vidy-Lausanne, the Wiener Festwochen in Vienna, the GREC Festival in Barcelona, the Festival d’Automne in Paris, and the Festival d’Avignon, among others.
Travelling information:
You can attend the performances of “ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo” on your own or take the MALTANKA train – at a unique time, unavailable in the summer schedule, during the golden hour.
The MALTANKA train will take spectators to the Balbinka station, near the place where the performance will be unveiled. Return journey is possible by other public transport options (bus no. 184, tram no. 6, 8).
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
Subtitles in Polish
Subtitles in English
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place -> Polana nad Maltaą at the intersection of Trocka and WIleńska streets
ULTRAFICCIÓN NO. 1/ FRACCIONES DE TIEMPO
21:30
/ Theatre, Open-air
A clearing above Malta at the intersection of Trocka and Wileńska streets
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Demetrio Castellucci, performing as DJ DĖMĖ, is a composer and sound designer who has been active in the fields of theatre, choreography, and film since 2004. That same year, he began DJing at parties and gatherings, developing a unique, genre-defying style that follows an omni-temporal flow driven by intuition and energy rather than musical labels. His eclectic sets have taken him across the globe – to Australia, the UK, Portugal, the US, and Switzerland.
Since 2006, he has been part of the experimental dance collective Dewey Dell, and since 2007, the mind behind Black Fanfare, a maximalist electroacoustic project that explores the visceral link between sound and the body. As a composer, he has collaborated with artists including Andreco, the duo Enrico Ticconi/Ginevra Panzetti, and filmmakers Ahmed Ben Nessib, Beatrice Pucci, and Ilaria di Carlo.
After years in London and Berlin, Demetrio settled in Vilnius, where in 2018 he founded Unarcheology, a digital platform that releases music and radio shows. Under the same name, he also launched Airport Gad, an ambient project known for its cardboard-built flight simulator concerts — where musicians double as pilots, steering the audience through sonic airspace.
At Malta Festival, DJ DĖMĖ will take us on a sonic journey with no passport, no borders, and no concept of time.
DĖMĖ – DJ SET
22:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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23.06/Monday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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This event will take place as part of the Midsummer Night celebrations—a traditional Slavic festival of fire, water, and love that marks the summer solstice. For centuries, this night has been a time of rituals connected with nature, renewal, and communal joy. The gathering will begin at sunset and last until dawn. A central bonfire will burn throughout, symbolizing purification and unity in line with ancient traditions. The program also includes workshops in wreath weaving—a symbol of feminine energy and connection with nature—as well as sessions in Slavic gymnastics, which merges movement with spiritual connection to the natural world. Set in the open air by the Warta River, the event emphasizes the bond between the celebration and nature’s rhythm.
The gathering is intended for women and girls who have reached puberty (after their first menstruation).
Program:
Training of deep and core muscles; building healthy postural habits
Slavic gymnastics: a set of seven exercises corresponding to the strongest energies of a specific day, time, and place
Slavic gymnastics is a system of 27 exercises created exclusively for women. It is not practiced by men, as it does not correspond to their energetic or physical constitution. The practice has a profound effect on a woman’s hormonal system as well as her entire physical body and being.
There are three worlds in this practice:
The Upper World (Pravi), the world of the gods—our superconsciousness, trained standing
The Middle World (Javi), the human world—our consciousness, trained on the knees
The Lower World (Navi), the world of ancestors—our subconsciousness, trained on knees and elbows
This system works deeply across many layers, improving physical health and influencing the energetic, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies. With a strong physical core—including pelvic floor, abdominal, and back muscles—women feel more balanced emotionally and mentally, with increased life energy and vitality. The nervous system harmonizes, bringing a sense of peace, strength, and inner power.
Slavic gymnastics unites the three inner worlds, fostering inner harmony. It cultivates authentic self-worth (from the heart, not ego), softens the external while strengthening the inner. It sharpens the facial features and refines a woman’s entire being—her body, thoughts, emotions, actions, and relationships. It awakens intuition, allowing women to simply know—they become wise women, unmanipulable and empowered. This practice helps shed victim-persecutor patterns, replacing them with strength and self-awareness.
Its impact goes far beyond the individual: a healed, nurtured woman passes that strength to her family and wider community. Women nourish and energize the world. But trying to give from an empty vessel only deepens depletion. The Earth is our element—within us everything is seeded and born. Let us care for ourselves first, and only then for others.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań.
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
Please also bring your own mats and blankets for added comfort.
Support from an assistant and audio describer is available during the event – if you require this support, please email: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl
Venue accessibility -> Riverside Glade (next to the Chwaliszewo Water Tram Stop)
MIDSUMMER NIGHT: SLAVIC GYMNASTICS: THE POWER OF THE FEMALE CENTER
12:00
/ Open-air, Workshops
Glade by the Warta River (next to the Chwaliszewo Water Tram Stop)
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On Monday, June 23 at noon, a unique event will take place at Plac Wolności, the result of several weeks of work by students from Poznań’s Da Vinci High School, supported by the Pogłosy Choir and Kulczyk Foundation. We invite school communities, students, educators, and all Poznań residents to come together and say one thing loud and clear – periods are nothing to be ashamed of. Menstruation? It’s natural.
At the heart of the event will be the premiere of a song-manifesto created by young workshop participants. They titled it “Periods Without Taboos. Change Starts With Us” – it is their voice, their emotions, and their words.
“Being a girl is supposed to be strength”, “Pain is not a myth”, “I’m constantly stressed”, “How loud does our protest need to be?”, “I radiate anger”, “This tension will soon leave me” – these are just some of the quotes that became the foundation of the lyrics. Young people speak openly about tension, shame, anger, and discomfort, but also about the need for acceptance, conversation, change, and solidarity. “I’m afraid we’ll be left alone with this problem” – says one line. Another reads, “Social acceptance is a needle in a haystack.” These words show how deeply needed this conversation is – and why it must not be silenced.
After the collective performance of the song-manifesto, there will be animations and artistic activities designed to open up conversation about the body, the cycle, emotions, and growing up – naturally, creatively, and without shame. As one of the event’s mottos states: “Life is a cycle we all belong to.”
This will not be a lesson.
This will be a breaking of taboos.
This will be our manifesto.
Join us and be part of it.
The event is participatory – we invite not only school communities from Poznań but also all individuals interested in this unique initiative to join us at Plac Wolności at 11:30 AM. The event also has a national reach – thanks to live streaming and on-site screens, school communities from across Poland will join online.
Individual participants: We encourage everyone taking part to wear shades of red and pink to visually identify with the performers.
School and institution registration: Registration for online school participation is now closed. Thank you to all schools that applied. Last call for schools interested in attending the event in person at Plac Wolności.
We accept applications until June 16, 2025. Schools wishing to join the initiative are invited to complete the registration form.
For any questions, please contact: szkoly@kulczykfoundation.org.pl
Visit the exhibition “Periods Without Taboos”
Interested in the topic of menstruation? Want to learn more? During Malta Festival, visit the terrace of the Festival Club (ul. Ratajczaka 44 in Poznań) to explore the “Periods Without Taboos” exhibition, prepared by Kulczyk Foundation.
The exhibition presents photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche & Aga Samsel and highlights selected data from Kulczyk Foundation’s study on how menstruation is perceived by Polish society, along with commentary and broader context to help clarify facts and dispel common myths.
We encourage you to visit the exhibition before or after attending the performative event.
More -> Plac Wolności
PERIODS WITHOUT TABOOS. CHANGE STARTS WITH US. A PERFORMATIVE EVENT
12:00
/ Performance
Freedom Square
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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This event will take place as part of the Midsummer Night celebration—a traditional Slavic holiday of fire, water, and love held during the summer solstice. For centuries, this night has been a time of nature-centered rituals, renewal, and community celebration. The gathering begins at sunset and lasts until dawn, with a bonfire burning throughout as the heart of the event—recalling ancient cleansing practices and unifying rituals. The program includes wreath weaving workshops, honoring a traditional symbol of feminine energy and connection with nature, as well as Slavic gymnastics sessions that blend movement with spiritual awareness of the natural world. Held outdoors by the Warta River, the event embraces the rhythm of nature.
Wreath weaving during the solstice is a long-standing tradition linked to feminine and masculine energies, relationships, marriage, and sexual vitality. Wreaths can also be woven with protective intentions—for one’s home, family, health, or any personal desire alive in the heart.
The practice may be treated playfully, as a feminine ritual rooted in beauty and pleasure—adorning oneself, enjoying the moment, and connecting in a circle of women. It offers space for shared conversation, sisterhood, joy, and a sense of belonging—standing in contrast to the competitive dynamics often found in male-dominated environments. It’s also a precious opportunity for mothers and daughters to spend creative time together in connection and joy.
Flowers and herbs are not only symbols of the Earth element; they also provide natural aromatherapy and the beauty of nature, inviting mindfulness and sensory presence.
According to tradition, wreaths may be released into the river’s current—to let go of what no longer serves us or to set romantic intentions. If a wreath is caught by a young man, it’s seen as a sign of future love. Wreaths can also be dried and kept until the next solstice, serving as tokens of abundance, love, or personal wishes.
This event is open to women and girls of all ages.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
Please also bring your own mats and blankets for added comfort.
MIDSUMMER NIGHT: WREATH WEAVING
13:30
/ Open-air, Workshops
Glade by the Warta River (next to the Chwaliszewo Water Tram Stop)
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
15:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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This workshop is part of the Midsummer Night celebration—a traditional Slavic holiday of fire, water, and love, held during the summer solstice. For centuries, this night has marked a time of rituals connected to nature, renewal, and community celebration. The event begins at sunset and continues until dawn, with a bonfire burning throughout the night—serving as the symbolic heart of the gathering, echoing ancient cleansing and unifying customs. The program also includes wreath weaving workshops—traditional symbols of feminine energy and connection with nature—and Slavic gymnastics sessions, which combine physical movement with spiritual connection to the natural world. Held outdoors by the Warta River, the location reinforces the celebration’s link to the rhythms of the Earth. The aim of the event is to reconnect with ancient traditions, foster community, and offer space for shared cultural celebration in harmony with the natural world.
The summer solstice—also known as Kupala Night or St. John’s Eve—is the perfect time to reflect on your relationship with yourself and your partner. A key element in these relationships is sexual energy, which is a powerful force of both creation and destruction. When conscious and respected, it nourishes and strengthens. When misused or unconscious, it may lead to exhaustion, imbalance, and emotional loss.
Workshop program:
Understanding sexual energy in popular culture and in right-hand tantra / Taoist love philosophy
The difference between sexuality as nourishment, creation, and mutual exchange, versus sexuality as loss, control, and power
The pyramid of desires and how it manifests in our lives
Taoist love practices (both individual and in pairs)
The aim of this session is to raise awareness of sexual/life energy through the lens of right-hand tantra. This approach treats sexual energy as creative, sacred, and nourishing, always serving both partners and expanding awareness. The word “tantra” comes from Sanskrit and means “to weave”, “to sow”, “to expand”. In its original form, it was called the Yoga of Love.
This workshop is for you if:
you want to understand the deeper meaning of tantra and the Tao of love
you wish to transform your relationship with your partner
you feel there’s something off in your intimate life
you want to exchange and be nourished in a relationship instead of feeling drained
– you seek healing, rejuvenation, and conscious connection
The session will be held with respect for personal boundaries and is open to couples as well as individuals.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
Please also bring your own mats and blankets for added comfort.
Support from an assistant and audio describer is available during the event – if you require this support, please email: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl
Venue accessibility -> Riverside Glade (next to the Chwaliszewo Water Tram Stop)
MIDSUMMER NIGHT: LIFE ENERGY / SEXUAL ENERGY / TAO OF LOVE
17:30
/ Open-air, Workshops
Atrium UAP
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“Embodying Pasolini” is an one-of-a-kind artistic tribute by actress Tilda Swinton and art historian Olivier Saillard to the celebrated Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Performed only once a year in a carefully selected location worldwide, in 2025 the production will be presented exclusively in Poznań, from June 20 to 23. The jubilee 35th edition of Malta Festival is just around the corner: it will blend tradition with innovation, Poznań with Europe, entertainment with reflection, and most importantly, art with its audience. The festival will begin on June 20 and run until June 28.
Swinton unpacked the raiment of films past like so many treasures salvaged from oblivion – VOGUE
Saillard once again delivers a perfect performance, which allows “this assembly of inert bodies” to live again, and better – TOUTE LA CULTURE
Cinema artefacts have this one fantasy moment, and that’s it – Tilda Swinton
An original performance created by French fashion and art historian Olivier Saillard and the iconic, multi-award-winning Scotch actor, Tilda Swinton, “Embodying Pasolini” brings together a wide selection of costumes from the films of Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, live, for the very first time.
Designed by Danilo Donati and prepared by the Farani workshop, outfits from The Gospel According to “St. Matthew”, “Oedipus Rex”,”Arabian Nights” and “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom” prove Pasolini and Donati’s abundant and long-term collaboration. This performance retraces the process of how the pieces were discovered, identified, and assessed until they were brought onto the stage and worn again, which was originally prohibited.
As if being a silent mannequin captive to its memory, Saillard and Swinton try on nearly thirty costumes, dresses, coats, and hats. They make a brief appearance for a daring try-on session, with audience members as witnesses. Captured in fabrics, Swinton doesn’t represent the correspondent characters. Instead, her role is precisely the lack of a role. Her presence sheds light on how the now explicitly orphaned costumes are separated from the body, the actors and the films, situated in their soulful and truthful existence.
Tilda Swinton, UK
Tilda Swinton, known for her collaborations with directors like Derek Jarman and Jim Jarmusch, gained acclaim for roles in Orlando and Michael Clayton, winning BAFTA and Academy Awards. She’s worked with diverse filmmakers including Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson, and Bong Joon Ho. In 2020, she received a BFI Fellowship and a Leon d’Oro at the Venice Film Festival. Her recent projects include “Three Thousand Years Of Longing”, “Asteroid City”, and “The Eternal Daughter”. Swinton, a mother of twins, resides in the Scottish Highlands.
Olivier Saillard, FR
Olivier Saillard is a graduate in art history. In 1995, he was appointed director of the Marseille Fashion Museum; in 2000, he became responsible for the “Fashion” exhibition programming at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and in 2010, director of the Palais Galliera, the City of Paris Fashion Museum. Since 2017, he has been the director of the Alaïa Foundation and the artistic director for image and culture at J.M. Weston (since 2018). He has authored several works, including “An Ideal History of Contemporary Fashion” (Textuel, 2009), “The Fashion Book” at Robert Laffont (2019), and major exhibitions such as “Yohji Yamamoto: Just Clothes,” “Christian Lacroix: A History of Clothes” at the Arts Décoratifs; “Azzedine Alaïa,” “Jeanne Lanvin” at the Palais Galliera; “Madame Grès: Couture at Work,” “Balenciaga: The Work in Black” at the Bourdelle Museum, and most recently, “The Ephemeral Fashion Museum” at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. In 2005, Olivier Saillard was a recipient of the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto. Since then, he has been conducting a poetic reflection presented in the form of performances. The Impossible Wardrobe, Eternity Dress, and Cloakroom, and recently Embodying Pasolini with Tilda Swinton at the Festival d’Automne in Paris; Sur-Exposition with Charlotte Rampling, Couture Essentielle…, nearly thirty performances have thus been initiated over 20 years… In 2018, he founded “Moda Povera,” a project dedicated to poetic, performative, and pedagogical clothing creation, based on the transformation of ordinary and modest clothes magnified by haute couture knowledge and techniques.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
Entrance to Hall No. 2 is from Głogowska Street via gate No. 9
Signs in Polish
Translation into PJM. If you plan to use Polish Sign Language (PJM) interpretation, please email Natalia Dąbrowska at: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl. Natalia will help you choose a suitable seat.
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place ->MTP, Hall No. 2
EMBODYING PASOLINI
18:00
/ Theatre, Performance
MTP, “Hall 2”
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Malta Festival invites you to a new edition of the “Women Talking” series – a programme of in-depth conversations with acclaimed writers from Poland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Curated and hosted by Michał Nogaś, the events will take place from June 23 to 26 at the Festival Club.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition dedicated to literature written by women, “Women Talking” returns with renewed energy and an equally powerful lineup.
“The title of the series was inspired by Miriam Toews’ acclaimed novel, whose author joined us at Malta Festival last year,” says Michał Nogaś.
Four days of meetings, discussions, and reflection will turn literature into a lens for exploring the world, relationships, and identity. Last year’s conversations demonstrated how crucial it is to create space for women’s writing – not as a niche, but as a central part of how we think about the present moment.
This year’s programme continues in that spirit, inviting us into the literary worlds of four authors who write boldly, uncompromisingly, and on their own terms.
June 23, 6:00 PM – Joanna Bator – A writer, philosopher, and cultural studies scholar. Recipient of prestigious awards including the Nike Literary Award, the Hermann Hesse Prize (Germany), the Spycher Prize (Switzerland), and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature. Author of bestsellers translated into multiple languages, including “Piaskowa Góra”, “Ciemno, prawie noc” (Dark, Almost Night), and “Gorzko, gorzko” (Bitter, Bitter), beloved by hundreds of thousands of readers. A runner and lover of Japanese culture, she lives in Podkowa Leśna with her people, dogs, and cats.
In this meeting, the acclaimed author offers a behind-the-scenes look at her writing process. She shares how the ideas for her award-winning novels were born. Readers will revisit familiar characters such as Berta Koch, Kasia Makara, and Jadzia Chmura. With added commentary and interpretations, fans will gain a unique insight into Joanna Bator’s creative mind.
June 24, 6:00 PM – Claudia Durastanti (b. 1984) – Italian writer and translator, born in Brooklyn. At age six, she moved with her mother and brother to Gallicchio in Basilicata. A graduate of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, she has published in Granta, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Serving Library. She is a board member of the Turin International Book Fair and co-founder of the Italian Literature Festival in London. A music columnist for Internazionale.
She debuted in 2010 with the novel “Un giorno verrò a lanciare sassi alla tua finestra”, which earned the Mondello Prize, among others. Her most acclaimed book, “La straniera” (“Stranger”), was published in 2019 and made it to the final of the prestigious Strega Prize. It also received the Strega Off Prize and the Luigi Russo Prize, and was a finalist for the Alassio Centolibri, Viareggio, and Stresa Prizes. The novel has been translated into over twenty languages, with a TV adaptation currently in development.
June 25, 6:00 PM – Gwendoline Riley – British author, regarded as one of the most outstanding contemporary writers in the UK and Ireland. In 2018, Times Literary Supplement named her one of the twenty best British and Irish novelists working today.
Her fifth novel “First Love” was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. Her sixth, “My Phantoms”, was shortlisted for the Folio Prize.
With striking precision and emotional restraint, Riley creates powerful portraits of human relationships – intimate, tense, and often painful. This rare encounter is an invitation into her raw yet profoundly honest literary world.
June 26, 6:00 PM – Eliza Clark – Originally from Newcastle, now based in London. A graduate of Chelsea College of Art, she received the Young Writers’ Talent Fund grant in 2018. Her debut novel “Boy Parts”, published in 2022, was nominated for the Women’s Prize Futures Award.
In 2023, Granta named her one of the most promising young British novelists. Known for her bold tone, internet-era aesthetics, and provocative humor, she is also active on social media under the name @FancyEliza.
The “Women Talking” series is presented in partnership with Trójka – Polish Radio.
WOMEN TALKING: JOANNA BATOR
18:00
/ Literature
Festival Club
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Malta Festival expands its music lineup — exciting support acts announced ahead of performances by international headliners.
23.06: ROYA x L’Impératrice
Hailing from the picturesque coasts of Denmark, the electronic pop-duo ROYA is emerging as a promising act on the global music scene. The honest lyrics echo all the flaws that we tend to undermine from time to time and combined with a sound of lively, edgy and dancefloor ready widescreen pop, ROYA is destined to captivate audiences worldwide! Following several radio hits, renowned tours and the release of their debut EP “Dear Space” in 2023, the duo has embarked on a new musical journey becoming a viral sensation connecting with followers to “surf the right wave” – a spontaneous and unique inclusive way of creating songs by resonating the reactions and feelings of people everywhere!
ROYA’s story begins in the idyllic landscapes of Thy, where Line Gade spent her childhood immersed in music, surrounded by the beauty of Denmark’s west coast. With a dictaphone always at hand, she composed songs inspired by her surroundings, from the piano at home to the music school and the nearby forest and sea. On the opposite coast, Sebastian Igens’ early years were marked by a dedication to gymnastics, which later evolved into a passion for guitar and electronic music, culminating in a formal education in sound design. Despite their different upbringings, destiny brought them together…
Meeting six years ago through a setup by prominent international publishers, Line and Sebastian discovered an undeniable chemistry, initially writing songs together with and for other artists, including international acts such as 6ix9ine and MNEK. Following a heartbreak for Line, bringing her and Sebastian even closer together as friends, the duo decided to fully focus on creating their own music – this moment marked the birth of ROYA. The name, serendipitously discovered to mean “dream” in Arabic, perfectly encapsulates their journey and a dream came true, eventually bringing their music to life as ROYA were recognized as the best upcoming live act at the prestigious Danish festival, SMUKFEST, in 2022.
ROYA’s early releases were born from emotional turbulence, reflecting a moody yet compelling, dancefloor ready sound. When released in the Autumn of 2022, the epic sad banger “Kinda Sad” made a significant impact on international music blogs and media, also claiming a “Song of the Week” on Danish national radio
P3. The follow-up, ‘Paperwings’, hit the NMF-playlists all over Scandinavia while ROYA simultaneously surfed the radio waves featuring on the Top-5 single, ‘Ocean’ by the Danish folk-pop act Jonah Blacksmith, also becoming the 10th most played song on Danish radio in 2023.
Their music is characterized by Line’s Nordic melodies and ethereal vocals on top of Sebastian’s intense electronic pop-house productions. In the fall of 2023, the debut EP, “Dear Space”, and a subsequent headliner tour in Denmark marked significant milestones for one of the most promising new acts of the Nordics.
ROYA have become a viral TikTok and Instagram sensation connecting with thousands of followers, gaining millions of views and streams across platforms and proving a blooming international potential. They’ve found a new spontaneous way of creating music and songs described by Line and Sebastian as “surfing the right wave”, allowing impressions and fan interactions to shape their songs. Their viral hit “Cruise,” crafted with fan participation through interactions in the comments, secured an international record deal, embarking ROYA on a new exciting journey! Only two months after the release of ‘Cruise’ they reached 10 million streams on spotify and they have 1 million+ followers across platforms.
We’ll see them at Malta Festival on June 23, opening for L’Impératrice at the Poznań International Fair.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 ROYA
21:00 L’IMPÉRATRICE
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT BEFORE L’IMPÉRATRICE
ACCESIBILITY:
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
ROYA / SUPPORT BEFORE L’IMPÉRATRICE
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19:30
/ Music, Concert
Welcome to the LOCAL GIRLS STAGE – our festival DJ stage filled with sisterhood, electronic music, and shared passion!
For seven evenings, Festival Club will come alive with DJ sets by artists connected to the Local Girls Movement – participants and graduates of our DJ workshops dedicated to women and people with lived experience of womanhood. Joining them on stage will be artists active in Poznań’s vibrant electronic music scene. This is a space for debuts, experiments, and musical encounters that transcend generations and personal stories.
Local Girls Movement is a collective of dedicated women who invest their time and energy into empowering and educating women and individuals with experience of womanhood. Our main goal is to create a safe space where we can share knowledge and grow skills across various fields.
We organize free, open meetings for anyone interested, featuring invited experts such as gynecologists, sexologists, literary scholars, and professors. These sessions offer valuable insights and practical knowledge on topics that are often difficult or taboo to discuss in public.
We create a space for exchange, networking, and support.
We believe music is a tool for change and community-building.
Come by – to listen, dance, connect, and experience something new.
The stage is live every day from 8:00 PM. Free entry.
LOCAL GIRLS STAGE
20:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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Behind the image of the satanic, anthropophagic, magical and violent sabbath, it is possible to glimpse the distorted echo of an ecstatic cult dominated by a mysterious night goddess connected to a ceremony for the fertility of the soil. If possession is often considered as the visitation of a divine entity among human beings, ecstasy on the contrary is a journey of celestial ascension or infernal descent of the human soul out of the body.
From this concept of a body “in spirit,” comes the idea of a choreography that weaves the threads of an imagined Sabbath.
Among the sources of inspiration cited by Dewey Dell is Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath by Carlo Ginzburg.
The Dewey Dell collective consists of sisters Teodora and Agata Castellucci, dramaturg and lighting designer Vito Matera, and composer Demetrio Castellucci (the shared surname is no coincidence).
Accessibility of the venue → Grand Hall at CK Zamek
I’LL DO, I’LL DO, I’LL DO
20:30
/ Theatre, Dance
The Great Hall of the CK Zamek
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By the beginning of 2023, L’Impératrice had accrued an enviable résumé, a roster of bona fides that confirmed them as one of Paris’ most dynamic young bands. In only a decade, they’d matriculated from a good-times instrumental act created by music critic Charles de Boisseguin to a six-piece powerhouse whose sashaying mixes of funk and French Touch, disco and deep house.
They became international stars during that process, selling out all 108 shows in their 25-country run in support of 2021’s beloved Tako Tsubo. They dazzled at Outside Lands, Coachella, and with a capacity crowd in a Mexico arena.
They won prestigious French prizes and had several songs—“Vanille fraise”, “Agitations tropicales,” “Peur des filles”—climb into the streaming stratosphere. But after two successful albums and all the acclaim, there was still one thing L’Impératrice was missing: a record where they made every decision, a set of songs that truly captured the band’s spirit both onstage and off.
And so, they decided to make exactly that by themselves, with a little help from an exciting set of new friends. After wrapping their sets at Austin City Limits in October 2022, the band began jamming in Texas, hatching the first ideas of what is now “Pulsar”, their third album and the most sweeping and forthright representation yet of what L’Impératrice is and can be.
In those early days of the “Pulsar” sessions in late 2022, L’Impératrice tried a novel approach, splitting into two teams of ever-interchanging members to explore new ideas. It was a way of incorporating every voice into writing like never before. After all, every member of L’Impératrice—de Boisseguin excepted, as he will admit with a ready laugh—is a well-schooled musician, pulling from idiosyncratic upbringings and enthusiasms.
Throughout these 10 songs, L’Impératrice espouses the rare willingness to be real about life and its woes while also sounding like a perfect picture of joy. As L’Impératrice made “Pulsar”, they struggled with the question of every artist everywhere: Is it better to have a deadline that expedites the creative process, or is it better to let things linger, to spend as much time as you need in pursuit of the right idea? They are still playfully divided on this issue, but they know that their tight deadline was a boon here, prompting a collision of logistical circumstances that helped capture their ambition, experience, and confidence in less than 40 minutes.
“Pulsar” is a focused but far-reaching record, the jubilant testament of a band with plenty to say and the skills to say it themselves.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 ROYA
21:00 L’IMPÉRATRICE ON STAGE
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT: ROYA
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
L’IMPÉRATRICE
21:00
/ Music, Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
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Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
Film description: Two mermaids—Silver and Golden—emerge in the heart of Warsaw’s 1980s dance hall scene, a world pulsing with music, neon lights, and sequined glamour. They join the band Figs and Dates and quickly become the sensation of the city’s nightlife. Swept up by love and desire, they briefly forget their true nature. But it only takes one broken heart for things to spiral out of control…
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: THE LURE
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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The event will take place as part of the Midsummer Night celebration—a traditional Slavic holiday of fire, water, and love, held during the summer solstice. For centuries, Midsummer Night has been a time for rituals rooted in nature, renewal, and communal celebration. The gathering will begin at sunset and last until dawn. A fire will burn throughout the night, serving as the focal point of the celebration and referencing ancient practices of purification and unity. The program includes wreath-weaving workshops—a traditional symbol of feminine energy and connection to nature—and Slavic gymnastics sessions that integrate movement with the spiritual experience of bonding with the natural world. The celebration will take place outdoors by the Warta River, further emphasizing its connection to the rhythms of nature. The aim of the event is to reconnect participants with ancestral traditions, foster community, and create a shared space to celebrate cultural heritage in harmony with the surrounding environment.
In our earthly reality, we live within a system of duality—masculine and feminine energy, man and woman, day and night, light and shadow, good and evil. To feel well and improve the quality of our lives and health, it is essential to live in harmony and balance. Extremes on either end can lead to energy loss, which in turn affects our physical well-being and other areas of life. We may not always maintain perfect balance 24/7, but we can strive each day toward a state of inner peace, harmony, and lightness of being.
This event offers women and men an opportunity to cleanse and heal their relationships with themselves and with their partners. A ritual fire will be lit at 21:19 (sunset) and kept burning until 04:31 (sunrise), holding this intention.
The fire ceremony will be preceded by Slavic gymnastics, intimate exercises, wreath-weaving, and a workshop on sexual energy and intimate relationships with oneself and in partnership, based on the principles of right-hand tantra and Tao of love.
During the celebration, we will light the ritual fire together, feeding it with herbs and grains—offering it to the fire element in service of ourselves, Mother Earth, and our personal intentions. The fire will support us in coming closer to our inner “zero point”—a place of groundedness, childlike joy, inner peace, and trust in life. Together, we will feast, sing, dance, embrace silence, and connect with our inner selves.
The space will be held by Instructors and Slavic Priestesses of Love from the School of Love Metamorphosis, who will also perform a ritual knife dance — a powerful act of cutting away what no longer serves us. This ceremonial dance cleanses our inner and outer spaces, bringing healing and harmony to the feminine and masculine energies within us, our relationships, and our lives. Together, we will greet the first bird at dawn, and at sunrise we will welcome the rising sun with the Slavic ritual known as the Greeting of Jarilo.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
Support from an assistant and audio describer is available during the event – if you require this support, please email: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl
Venue accessibility -> Riverside Glade (next to the Chwaliszewo Water Tram Stop)
MIDSUMMER NIGHT: RITUAL BONFIRE
21:19
/ Open-air
Glade by the Warta River (next to the Chwaliszewo Water Tram Stop)
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A journey of sound and literature in front of a giant screen as a stage, set in a natural environment surrounded by trees. The piece begins when day meets darkness and lasts for the time between sunset and nightfall, setting in motion the cancellation of the subtle boundary between reality and fiction.
“ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo” brings the spectator on a journey among a mosaic of fragile stories from all around the World. A play without images, made up of words and sounds without a ‘stage’. Instead of a stage, there is a meadow. In the middle of nature, a screen is erected and the sound resonates and extends without limits, linking several stories that take place in the same scenic time but in different places: an improvised rave party in a forest, the passengers of a flight and their conversations shortly before the plane crashes, the journey of 80 people on a boat from Tripoli in the hope of reaching Italy.
Tanya Beyeler (Lugano, 1980) and Pablo Gisbert (Ontinyent, 1982) founded their company in Barcelona in 2010. From the outset, El Conde de Torrefiel has stood out for its interdisciplinary approach, combining choreography, literature, and visual and sound arts. Their performances create extraordinary landscapes and visual narratives where tensions between the individual and the collective emerge, bringing them on stage in surprising ways. This innovative approach has established the company as a pioneering reference in contemporary theater, both nationally and internationally.
Since its inception, the company has created 13 stage productions, as well as site-specific pieces, video creations, installations, and theatrical audio guides for museums and unconventional spaces. Among their most notable works are Scenes for a Conversation After Viewing a Film by Michael Haneke, Guerrilla, La Plaza, and “ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo.”
The artistic work of Beyeler and Gisbert has been recognized with numerous awards, including two Critics’ Awards from the City of Barcelona: in2018 for La Plaza and in 2022 for Una Imagen interior. In 2021, Tanya Beyeler received the Swiss National Prize for Performing Arts, her home country’s highest recognition in the field.
For over a decade, El Conde de Torrefiel has toured the most prestigious international theaters and live arts festivals, particularly in Europe. Their work has been presented at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels, La Biennale di Venezia, the Théâtre de Vidy-Lausanne, the Wiener Festwochen in Vienna, the GREC Festival in Barcelona, the Festival d’Automne in Paris, and the Festival d’Avignon, among others.
Travelling information:
You can attend the performances of “ULTRAFICCIÓN nr. 1 /Fracciones de tiempo” on your own or take the MALTANKA train – at a unique time, unavailable in the summer schedule, during the golden hour.
The MALTANKA train will take spectators to the Balbinka station, near the place where the performance will be unveiled. Return journey is possible by other public transport options (bus no. 184, tram no. 6, 8).
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
Subtitles in Polish
Subtitles in English
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the place where the event takes place -> Polana nad Maltaą at the intersection of Trocka and WIleńska streets
ULTRAFICCIÓN NO. 1/ FRACCIONES DE TIEMPO
21:30
/ Theatre, Open-air
A clearing above Malta at the intersection of Trocka and Wileńska streets
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24.06/Tuesday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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A workshop for women who feel, who need, who search – within themselves, in others, in space. We will reflect on the roles we wish to embody, the ones society imposes on us, and those we long to break free from.
This three-hour session offers space for collective and individual exploration. Through improvisation techniques, we’ll uncover and strengthen various female archetypes. It’s a space for connection, integration, but also play and creative self-expression. Improvisation games will allow us to tap into spontaneity, openness, and bring to light the often hidden, unconscious aspects of womanhood.
Facilitators:
Agata Kominiak, Jagoda Ptaszyńska, and Agnieszka Szałkowska – theatre improvisers with fifteen years of experience. Long-time members of the “wymyWammy” collective at the Municipal Culture Centre in Bydgoszcz. Friends in private life, and professionally united by their passion for improvisation, nonviolent communication, and care for mental wellbeing. Together they created “Kolektywnie KREATYWNIE – An Impro Toolkit for Children Leaving Foster Care”, a project giving young people the space to express themselves and build confidence through the art of improvisation.
Attention – capacity reached – registration is now closed.
IMPRO WORKSHOP: FEMALE ROLES
10:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
13:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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Do you remember the names of your grandmothers and great-grandmothers? What do you know about their lives? Which stories have stayed with you? What traits have we inherited from them — and what no longer fits?
During the workshop, we will create a female family tree and design mandalas in honor of the women who came before us.
Facilitator:
Paulina Kirschke – journalist, researcher, activist, and social innovator. President of the Julia Woykowska Foundation and co-founder of the Women’s History Museum Foundation. Co-author of numerous social projects and innovations. Author of “A Subjective Guide to Women’s Traces in Greater Poland” and “Stories for Young Organiczniczki.” Host of the podcast “Herstories of Poznań”.
Chair of the Civic Dialogue Committee at the Office of the Plenipotentiary for Equality Policy of the City of Poznań (2022–2024), and co-author of the City of Poznań Equality Policy for 2024–2026. Recognized as one of the 16 Equality Leaders of 2023 by the Congress of Women and the British Embassy, and named one of the 25 Women to Watch in 2025 by Forbes Women.
Attention – capacity reached – registration is now closed.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
IN SEARCH OF THE WOMEN BEFORE US
14:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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Malta Festival invites you to a new edition of the “Women Talking” series – a programme of in-depth conversations with acclaimed writers from Poland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Curated and hosted by Michał Nogaś, the events will take place from June 23 to 26 at the Festival Club.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition dedicated to literature written by women, “Women Talking” returns with renewed energy and an equally powerful lineup.
“The title of the series was inspired by Miriam Toews’ acclaimed novel, whose author joined us at Malta Festival last year,” says Michał Nogaś.
Four days of meetings, discussions, and reflection will turn literature into a lens for exploring the world, relationships, and identity. Last year’s conversations demonstrated how crucial it is to create space for women’s writing – not as a niche, but as a central part of how we think about the present moment.
This year’s programme continues in that spirit, inviting us into the literary worlds of four authors who write boldly, uncompromisingly, and on their own terms.
June 23, 6:00 PM – Joanna Bator – A writer, philosopher, and cultural studies scholar. Recipient of prestigious awards including the Nike Literary Award, the Hermann Hesse Prize (Germany), the Spycher Prize (Switzerland), and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature. Author of bestsellers translated into multiple languages, including “Piaskowa Góra”, “Ciemno, prawie noc” (Dark, Almost Night), and “Gorzko, gorzko” (Bitter, Bitter), beloved by hundreds of thousands of readers. A runner and lover of Japanese culture, she lives in Podkowa Leśna with her people, dogs, and cats.
In this meeting, the acclaimed author offers a behind-the-scenes look at her writing process. She shares how the ideas for her award-winning novels were born. Readers will revisit familiar characters such as Berta Koch, Kasia Makara, and Jadzia Chmura. With added commentary and interpretations, fans will gain a unique insight into Joanna Bator’s creative mind.
June 24, 6:00 PM – Claudia Durastanti (b. 1984) – Italian writer and translator, born in Brooklyn. At age six, she moved with her mother and brother to Gallicchio in Basilicata. A graduate of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, she has published in Granta, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Serving Library. She is a board member of the Turin International Book Fair and co-founder of the Italian Literature Festival in London. A music columnist for Internazionale.
She debuted in 2010 with the novel “Un giorno verrò a lanciare sassi alla tua finestra”, which earned the Mondello Prize, among others. Her most acclaimed book, “La straniera” (“Stranger”), was published in 2019 and made it to the final of the prestigious Strega Prize. It also received the Strega Off Prize and the Luigi Russo Prize, and was a finalist for the Alassio Centolibri, Viareggio, and Stresa Prizes. The novel has been translated into over twenty languages, with a TV adaptation currently in development.
June 25, 6:00 PM – Gwendoline Riley – British author, regarded as one of the most outstanding contemporary writers in the UK and Ireland. In 2018, Times Literary Supplement named her one of the twenty best British and Irish novelists working today.
Her fifth novel “First Love” was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. Her sixth, “My Phantoms”, was shortlisted for the Folio Prize.
With striking precision and emotional restraint, Riley creates powerful portraits of human relationships – intimate, tense, and often painful. This rare encounter is an invitation into her raw yet profoundly honest literary world.
June 26, 6:00 PM – Eliza Clark – Originally from Newcastle, now based in London. A graduate of Chelsea College of Art, she received the Young Writers’ Talent Fund grant in 2018. Her debut novel “Boy Parts”, published in 2022, was nominated for the Women’s Prize Futures Award.
In 2023, Granta named her one of the most promising young British novelists. Known for her bold tone, internet-era aesthetics, and provocative humor, she is also active on social media under the name @FancyEliza.
The “Women Talking” series is presented in partnership with Trójka – Polish Radio.
If the guest identifies as an English speaker, the meeting will also be translated into Polish
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
WOMEN TALKING: CLAUDIA DURASTANTI
18:00
/ Literature
Festival Club
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Jan Baszak’s sculptural installation will respond to contemporary moods and aesthetic longings. A gap in the existing order that opens up to new perspectives. A redefinition of the social construct. A reaction to a reality that triggers fear. A gesture of hope, change, and a smile on a tear-streaked face. An autumn that lasts all year long. “Letztraum” will primarily be an egalitarian space for interspecies cohabitation – a place resembling a freestanding structure, a dedicated room, a greenhouse, or a shelter. A den, a sculpture, and an installation built from textile scraps and metal. A melancholic world in amber hues, a ruin in the making, collapsing under the weight of weeds. It will be a space of inclusive co-presence: of people, leather-and-sock creatures, non-human beings, ghosts, and other entities pushed out of everyday experience. A room bathed in orange light. A sunset. The last rays of the sun pleasantly stinging the eyes. The final moment of warmth and calm. Baszak’s installation will become a shared, introspective breath—one that finally breaks away from binary divisions.
Curatorial team: Jagna Domżalska, Kamil Mizgala
June 25 – July 27, 2025
Fireplace Room (1st floor)
Opening: June 24, 2025, at 6 PM
Free admission
Open daily from 12:00 to 8:00 PM
Jan Baszak is a graduate of the Academy of Art in Szczecin (2019) and the University of the Arts in Poznań (2017). He lives and works in Berlin, where he creates works at the intersection of intimacy and melancholy. His sculptures are made from post-human materials and reclaimed textiles. In his practice, he explores the complex relationships between humans and non-human beings, the mysticism of interspecies eye contact, and proposes visions of communities founded on the principles of Halloween-style egalitarianism.
LETZTRAUM
18:00
/ Fringe events
CK ZAMEK
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Two murders. Two perpetrators. Two motives. The police in Brest will mistakenly attribute both murders to one of the perpetrators, completely overlooking the other. That’s the whole story. Banal. There is nothing more banal than a murder in the theatre. “Querelle” is a story about people in search of love. They are tormented by guilt that prevents them from accepting their own identity. Who they are feels like a crime committed at birth. Torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for freedom, tempted by the prospect of a fuller life, aware of the inevitable end, and yet fearful of any change. Everything changes when a sailor, murderer, and smuggler — Georges Querelle — crosses the threshold of the La Feria brothel.
The idea of murder often evokes the image of the sea and sailors. The sea and sailors do not appear as a distinct picture, murder rather awakens emotions that crash against the waves. Ports are often the stage of crimes, and we shall not dwell on this fact, which is easily explained, but we know from many chronicles that the murderer was a sailor, real or disguised, and if disguised, even more so connected with the sea. (…) Thus, the drama that is about to unfold here is meant to be presented as a particular internal mechanism. Let us also add that it is intended for homosexuals. The idea of the sea and crime is naturally accompanied by the idea of love or pleasure — or rather the idea of love against nature.
~ Jean Genet, “Querelle de Brest”
Two murders. Two perpetrators. Two motives. The police in Brest will mistakenly attribute both murders to one of the perpetrators, completely overlooking the other. That’s the whole story. Banal. There is nothing more banal than a murder in the theatre.
“Querelle” is a story about people in search of love. They are tormented by guilt that prevents them from accepting their own identity. Who they are feels like a crime committed at birth. Torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for freedom, tempted by the prospect of a fuller life, aware of the inevitable end, and yet fearful of any change.
Everything changes when a sailor, murderer, and smuggler — Georges Querelle — crosses the threshold of the La Feria brothel.
The performance takes place on the Main Stage
The Main Stage is equipped with a hearing induction loop
Venue accessibility → Teatr Polski in Poznań
QUERELLE
19:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Do not bring it up unless you have to. Skip it, stay silent, step aside. Don’t answer, block the contact, put it away—for a while, for later, on a forgotten shelf.
Can passivity be a form of rebellion? Can withdrawing from a relationship become a ruthless knockout blow aimed at the other person? And what if the suspension applies to the bond between a daughter and her mother? After all, there is only one mother.
“There Is Only One” is an absurd, terrifying, and darkly humorous study of a relationship held together by the last threads of communication between an adult child and a parent. Amid silent emotions, jealousy, loneliness, and disappointment, a picture of an impossible bond emerges—one that still pulses with life.
Where do boundaries end when we protect our own? Why does the daughter become the parent to her own mother? And finally, what do we do with all that love if the mother rejects it?
Directed by Pamela Leończyk with a script by Daria Sobik, the performance is set within an unconventional scenographic arrangement curated by Aleksandra Pietrzak. It features works by Anna Myszkowiak, represented by Molski Gallery. In her artistic practice, Myszkowiak brings to life the experience of corporeality and intimacy, allowing us to imagine others’ emotions and to step beyond the limits of our own.
During the day, the performance transforms into an exhibition, which will be open to the public from June 25 to 29 at Scena Robocza in Poznań.
“I think I’m writing about my mother so that now it’s me who gives birth to her” — writes Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux in one of her micro-novels. These words became the inspiration behind writing an autobiographical drama about a severed mother-daughter bond.
What is she doing now? Is she alive? What did she eat for dinner?
These questions, due to a once-close but broken relationship, will remain unanswered, yet they arise almost every day. So do the ambivalent feelings—ranging from disgust to longing, from the sense of rejection through unconditional love to self-destructive rage.
The play “There Is Only One” is a project that, through an attempt to understand, offers other women who found the only way to live without fear in the suspension of their relationship with their mother a chance to find peace and harmony within themselves.
Pamela Leończyk – theatre director, installation artist, theatre educator and accessibility coordinator. She graduated in theatre directing from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, and holds degrees in theatre studies and performance studies from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She is a member of the Board of the Guild of Polish Theatre Directors. She collaborates with the Association of Theatre Educators and the Foundation for Socio-Economic Initiatives. She was a recipient of the New Theatre Lab grant organized by Teatr Nowy Proxima in Kraków, the “New Stage” programme by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Animatus international installation competition, as well as art scholarships from the cities of Suwałki, Kraków (2020), and Warsaw (2021).
Her theatre work has been presented at the FIST Festival in Belgrade. Her play Night Swimmers won the main prize at the International Festival of Theatre and Avant-Garde Art “Pestka”; Body Process received the Grand Prix at the National Independent Theatre Festival OFTeN; and her Winter’s Tale work-in-progress won the New Yorick Award at the 27th Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival. She has collaborated with Teatr Powszechny in Warsaw, Tasca Teatro in Turin, Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń, Teatr 21, Teatr Nowy Proxima in Kraków, Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art in Gdańsk and the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Słupsk.
Daria Sobik – playwright and dramaturge. She graduated in theatre studies from the Jagiellonian University and cultural studies from the University of Silesia. Finalist of the Gdynia Drama Award, New Drama Stage at the W. Siemaszkowa Theatre in Rzeszów, and the Young(er) Poland competition at the National Stary Theatre in Kraków (From the Same Cloth with Mariusz Gołosz). She was a semi-finalist of the “You’ll Never Walk Alone” competition at TR Warszawa and a New Yorick Award winner (with Pamela Leończyk) at the 27th Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival. She has worked as dramaturge and playwright at Teatr Powszechny and Teatr Studio in Warsaw, Teatr Nowy in Łódź, Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz, Zagłębie Theatre in Sosnowiec, Adam Mickiewicz Theatre in Częstochowa, and New National Theatre in Tokyo. Her plays have been published by Dialog and Notatnik Teatralny.
Monika Roszko – graduate of the Acting Department at the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Kraków. A film and theatre actress, she has been a member of the Polish Theatre ensemble in Poznań since 2016. She is known for her roles in K. (dir. M. Strzępka), The Trojan Women (dir. K. Michalak), Odysseus (dir. E. Marciniak), The Great Frederic (dir. J. Klata), Brave Piotrek and Orphan Marysia. A Fairy Tale for Adults (dir. W. Rubin), 28 Days (dir. K. Siwińska), Nana(dir. M. Pęcikiewicz), The Stranger (dir. K. Minkowska), The Death of John Paul II (dir. J. Skrzywanek), Colourful Dreams (dir. Sz. Adamczak and W. Rodak), Family Tapes (dir. P. Pacześniak), and The Hague (dir. S. Denisova). She made her film debut in Volhynia (dir. W. Smarzowski) in 2016. In 2018, she was recognised in the “Subjective List of Theatre Actors” by Jacek Sieradzki, and in 2021 she was nominated for the Medal of Young Art by Głos Wielkopolski.
Halina Chmielarz – graduate of the Acting Department at the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź. She performed at the Powszechny Theatre in Radom (1992–93), the Eighth Day Theatre in Poznań (1993–94, 2000–2002), the Polish Theatre in Poznań (1995–97), and the Rozmaitości Theatre in Warsaw (1997–99). She has also collaborated with the National Theatre in Warsaw, the Baltic Dramatic Theatre in Koszalin, and the Municipal Theatre in Leszno. She is known for her roles in television, films and serials.
Magdalena Sowul – composer, music producer, vocalist and clarinettist born in 1989. She received the City of Warsaw Art Scholarship for her music project The Last Creak. As part of the project, she wrote the play Sexy Corpse Core and composed and recorded eight songs about girlhood.
Anna Myszkowiak – sculptor and installation artist from Biłgoraj. She is a final-year student at the Faculty of Sculpture, University of the Arts in Poznań, and a graduate of the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Lublin (specialising in woodcarving). She won the Grand Prix at the 16th LOOSTROO Autumn Art Salon (2024) and received Ministry of Culture scholarships for artistic achievements (2025, 2019). Her works explore embodiment, discomfort and wonder, using both classical sculptural materials (wood, metal) and everyday objects (blankets, baking paper, found items). In There Is Only One, her sculptures form a key part of the scenography.
Aleksandra Pietrzak – curator, art historian and critic, and research associate at the National Museum in Poznań. She holds degrees in Art History (Jagiellonian University), Contemporary Art (Pedagogical University in Kraków), and Museum Studies (University of Warsaw). She is the author of the “Museum Lesson” series for Czas Kultury and has contributed to Rynek i Sztuka and Restart. In There Is Only One, she curates the scenography.
Funded by the City of Poznań #poznanwspiera Funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
THERE IS ONLY ONE
19:00
/ Theatre
The Working Stage
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Malta Festival expands its music lineup — exciting support acts announced ahead of performances by international headliners.
24.06: Poté x Róisín Murphy
Poté, who curated last year’s DJ program at the Festival Club, returns to Poznań! Born in Saint Lucia and raised in London, this DJ and producer blends layered electronic structures with the heritage of his Caribbean roots, resulting in both art-pop songs and dancefloor-ready UK garage anthems. His versatility is reflected in collaborations with the likes of Damon Albarn, members of Buraka Som Sistema, and Pierre Kwenders.
Poté will take the stage ahead of Róisín Murphy’s concert on Tuesday, June 24, at Hall 6 of the Poznań International Fair. The Irish diva and former Moloko frontwoman will present her biggest hits as well as tracks from her album “Hit Parade”— a title that perfectly captures the character of the music it contains.
Poté – Born in St Lucia and later moving to the UK, Poté builds worlds that are raw and expansive. His music treads between the rhythmic sound of his heritage and his interest in exploratory, emotive songwriting; it’s an interplay that continues to evolve through each of the songs he writes. The music he’s created along the way speaks to the variety of his influences: with releases to Lisbon’s kuduro-fused Enchufada label, to Benji B’s label (Deviation) or collaborations such as Damon Albarn or Pierre Kwenders on his latest LP out on Bonobo’s label Outlier.
We’ll see him at Malta Festival on June 24, opening for Róisín Murphy at the Poznań International Fair.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 POTÉ
21:00 RÓISÍN MURPHY
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT BEFORE RÓISÍN MURPHY
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
POTÉ / SUPPORT BEFORE RÓISÍN MURPHY
19:30
/ Music, Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
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Welcome to the LOCAL GIRLS STAGE – our festival DJ stage filled with sisterhood, electronic music, and shared passion!
For seven evenings, Festival Club will come alive with DJ sets by artists connected to the Local Girls Movement – participants and graduates of our DJ workshops dedicated to women and people with lived experience of womanhood. Joining them on stage will be artists active in Poznań’s vibrant electronic music scene. This is a space for debuts, experiments, and musical encounters that transcend generations and personal stories.
Local Girls Movement is a collective of dedicated women who invest their time and energy into empowering and educating women and individuals with experience of womanhood. Our main goal is to create a safe space where we can share knowledge and grow skills across various fields.
We organize free, open meetings for anyone interested, featuring invited experts such as gynecologists, sexologists, literary scholars, and professors. These sessions offer valuable insights and practical knowledge on topics that are often difficult or taboo to discuss in public.
We create a space for exchange, networking, and support.
We believe music is a tool for change and community-building.
Come by – to listen, dance, connect, and experience something new.
The stage is live every day from 8:00 PM. Free entry.
LOCAL GIRLS STAGE
20:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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Over the last three decades, Róisín Murphy has established herself as one of electronic pop’s most ingenious and forward-thinking voices, with a fearless sense of exploration and an indomitable artistic spirit that’s proved both influential and utterly singular. From her time growing up in the Irish town of Arklow, being around music and musicians from the very beginning, at a time when everyone had a song they might sing at the drop of a hat, the romance of music and dance seemed to feed her imagination from the start.
Murphy dove headlong into the music scene after her family decamped to Manchester when she was just a teen, and while she was there she discovered her own love of fashion through thrifting trips with her mother, who was an antiques dealer by trade. When her parents divorced and moved back to Ireland when she was 15, she decided to stay behind in Manchester and live alone, to continue her artistic immersion. After a brief flirtation with noise and punk in Manchester’s confines, she hitched over to Sheffield at 19 to immerse herself in the club scene.
A chance meeting with local bassist Mark Brydon led the pair to form the celebrated group Moloko, and the first thing she said to him upon meeting—Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body! — became the title of the project’s unforgettable 1995 debut. After four albums and a career that included the indelible hit “Sing It Back,” Moloko split following the release of 2003’s Statues, Murphy moved to London and kickstarted a new era of creativity, huddling with producer Matthew Herbert for the beguiling and glitch-tastic Ruby Blue in 2005. It was an indelible debut record that immediately set one rule in place when it came to her work: Expect the unexpected.
There’s been the lush pop broadstrokes of 2007’s ahead-of-its-time “Overpowered”, the rubbery electro of 2015’s “Hairless Toys”, and the hissing-steam exultations of “Take Her Up To Monto” from 2016 — and, of course, 2020’s utterly massive “Róisín Machine”, a deeply felt ode to dubby-disco, techno and house and finding her biggest audience yet in the process.
With the release of her sixth solo album “Hit Parade”, a full-length collaboration with wily Hamburg producer DJ Koze, Murphy continues to surf her own musical waves with utter aplomb, as she’s done throughout her entire career. The album was heralded by critics as the best album Murphy has released across an illustrious and critically acclaimed career, which is high praise indeed, and charted at number 5 in the UK Album Chart, her highest entry to date.
A cultural polymath, Murphy’s wider interests encompass a deep love and an innate understanding of the transformative nature of fashion. Six weeks of a summer in her teens spent touring France, Italy, Spain and Greece helped inform a life-long interest in architecture, both modern and classical. Murphy further expanded her musical palette during a stay in New York in the late 90s, discovering incredible Italian artists such as Mina and Patty Pravo and Lucio Battisti through a friend; she went on to create 2013’s Italian-language EPMi Senti. Murphy is an incomparable live-performer. She was the first singer to play Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and has shared stages at the most prestigious festivals across the world, including headline appearances at Glastonbury West Holts Stage, Homobloc, Coachella and Primavera Sound.
Last summer further cemented Murphy’s live reputation, with a festival calendar including Blue Dot, Melt Festival, Secret Garden Party, Mighty Hoopla, We Out Here and more. Armed with a show stopping wardrobe and an electrifying live-band, she most recently joined the ranks of star-studded performers to perform at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall, with an expanded band and camera’s recording and relaying her electrifying show in real time.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 POTÉ
21:00 RÓISÍN MURPHY
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT: POTÉ
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP, Hall No. 6
RÓISÍN MURPHY
21:00
/ Music, Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
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Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
Film description: Dorota (Agata Kulesza), a 40-year-old prosecutor, drinks to “keep from going crazy”—or so she says. Shielded by her legal immunity and the influence of her husband, a prominent politician (Marcin Dorociński), she manages to cover up all alcohol-related incidents. Magda (Maria Dębska), a university student, parties hard but excels at school and holds a great job, so no one questions her lifestyle. Teresa (Dorota Kolak), a respected surgeon, never turns down a drink—whether at home or at the children’s hospital where she serves as head of department. Each woman is on the verge of a breaking point. Events unfold that intensify their struggles with addiction. Will the support of family and friends be enough for them to confront the problem before it’s too late?
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: PLAYING HARD
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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25.06/Wednesday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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During this workshop, Rita Małgorzata Daniło-Gorlewicz will introduce you to the basics of Slavic gymnastics, with a special focus on pelvic floor muscle training.
“The pelvic floor muscles are a woman’s foundation,” says Rita Małgorzata Daniło-Gorlewicz. That’s why she incorporates specific exercises for this area into her Slavic gymnastics sessions. Activating these muscles helps preserve—or even restore—vital life energy. “The good news,” she adds, “is that as long as we’re alive, we can reverse all processes in the body—even those involving hard tissues like bone. Our bones and joints regenerate for as long as we live.” In her sessions, it’s not just the exercises themselves that matter most, but the postural habits you develop through practice. These habits are what help sustain strength and a sense of inner harmony.
Slavic gymnastics combined with conscious pelvic floor activation helps women become, as she says, “soft on the outside and strong on the inside—like a peach.” It builds core strength and nurtures not just the physical body, but also emotional resilience, intuition, and intellect, while keeping the outer body supple and relaxed.
Slavic gymnastics is a system of 27 exercises created exclusively for women. Movements for the upper world (Pravi, the realm of gods) are performed standing. The middle world (Javi, the human realm) is practiced on the knees. And the lower world (Navi, the realm of ancestors) is exercised on hands and knees, close to the ground. These three levels represent our superconscious, conscious, and subconscious minds—and they also correspond to the upper, middle, and lower parts of the spine and body.
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
Please also bring your own mats and blankets for added comfort.
ACCESIBILITY:
Support from an assistant and audio describer is available during the event – if you require this support, please email: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
TO LOVE! FOR YOURSELF. SLAVIC GYMNASTICS
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10:00
/ Workshops
Jan Baszak’s sculptural installation will respond to contemporary moods and aesthetic longings. A gap in the existing order that opens up to new perspectives. A redefinition of the social construct. A reaction to a reality that triggers fear. A gesture of hope, change, and a smile on a tear-streaked face. An autumn that lasts all year long. “Letztraum” will primarily be an egalitarian space for interspecies cohabitation – a place resembling a freestanding structure, a dedicated room, a greenhouse, or a shelter. A den, a sculpture, and an installation built from textile scraps and metal. A melancholic world in amber hues, a ruin in the making, collapsing under the weight of weeds. It will be a space of inclusive co-presence: of people, leather-and-sock creatures, non-human beings, ghosts, and other entities pushed out of everyday experience. A room bathed in orange light. A sunset. The last rays of the sun pleasantly stinging the eyes. The final moment of warmth and calm. Baszak’s installation will become a shared, introspective breath—one that finally breaks away from binary divisions.
Curatorial team: Jagna Domżalska, Kamil Mizgala
June 25 – July 27, 2025
Fireplace Room (1st floor)
Opening: June 24, 2025, at 6 PM
Free admission
Open daily from 12:00 to 8:00 PM
Jan Baszak is a graduate of the Academy of Art in Szczecin (2019) and the University of the Arts in Poznań (2017). He lives and works in Berlin, where he creates works at the intersection of intimacy and melancholy. His sculptures are made from post-human materials and reclaimed textiles. In his practice, he explores the complex relationships between humans and non-human beings, the mysticism of interspecies eye contact, and proposes visions of communities founded on the principles of Halloween-style egalitarianism.
LETZTRAUM
12:00
/ Fringe events
CK ZAMEK
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
13:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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‚‚SPEEED” is a choreographic and musical project created by Parini Secondo and Alberto Ricca/Bienoise, inspired by the Para Para and Eurobeat phenomenon, which spread in the 90s in Tokyo clubs. Para Para is a dance style characterised by colorful aesthetics and hyper-dynamic gestures; its peculiarity is the arm movements, which describe the caffeinic over-excitement of Eurobeat music through complex gestural combinations inspired by Japanese animation.
Originally, fans learned the routines by purchasing VHS tutorials or directly in clubs, where experts would teach the new choreographies to the audience before a party; nowadays, digital archiving has made them available online, where Parini’s research already resides. The method developed by the collective consists in the construction of a database of choreographies taken from video-tutorials, studied by each dancer following a common schedule: SPEEED takes shape by adapting these choreographic sequences of the time to the original music written by Alberto Ricca/Bienoise.
SPEEED is a work of camouflage because it faithfully copies its source of inspiration: the dancers on stage stimulate you to react, a 160 bpm slap throws you into a centrifuge of pure and genuine enthusiasm where tuning cars play very loud Eurobeat music.
Parini Secondo was born in 2017 from Sissj Bassani and Martina Piazzi with Camilla Neri and Francesca Pizzagalli. Questioning the relationship between art and originality, the group works on choreography to sublimate pop trends by being inspired by online material. They collaborate with musician, producer and teacher Alberto Ricca/bienoise, emphasizing the importance of the relationship between music, rhythm and dance.
After the iconic SPEEED (2020) and the international production be me (2021), Parini participates in NID Platform 2023 with do-around-the-world. In 2024 they released the new production HIT and HIT OUT, developed in between Italy, France, Norway and Taiwan and premiered in Bolzano Danza and Santarcangelo Festival. In 2025 comes INCANTO (working title), a new production for theatre venues, scheduled to debut in 2026
In 2024 Parini creates and curates the festival Tra questa gente esiste un sentimento (en: Among this people there is a feeling) within the program of Teatro Petrella (Longiano, IT), in collaboration with Cronopios and ATER Fondazione.
25.06, 17:30 – Liberty Square
26.06, 17:00 – Liberty Square
27.06, 21:30 – Liberty Square
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
No language barriers
The event takes place in an open public space, with natural city sounds present
Venue accessibility: Plac Wolności (Freedom Square)
Venue accessibility: Stary Rynek (Old Market Square)
Venue accessibility: Stara Rzeźnia (Old Slaughterhouse)
SPEEED
17:30
/ Theatre, Performance, Open-air
Freedom Square
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Malta Festival invites you to a new edition of the “Women Talking” series – a programme of in-depth conversations with acclaimed writers from Poland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Curated and hosted by Michał Nogaś, the events will take place from June 23 to 26 at the Festival Club.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition dedicated to literature written by women, “Women Talking” returns with renewed energy and an equally powerful lineup.
“The title of the series was inspired by Miriam Toews’ acclaimed novel, whose author joined us at Malta Festival last year,” says Michał Nogaś.
Four days of meetings, discussions, and reflection will turn literature into a lens for exploring the world, relationships, and identity. Last year’s conversations demonstrated how crucial it is to create space for women’s writing – not as a niche, but as a central part of how we think about the present moment.
This year’s programme continues in that spirit, inviting us into the literary worlds of four authors who write boldly, uncompromisingly, and on their own terms.
June 23, 6:00 PM – Joanna Bator – A writer, philosopher, and cultural studies scholar. Recipient of prestigious awards including the Nike Literary Award, the Hermann Hesse Prize (Germany), the Spycher Prize (Switzerland), and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature. Author of bestsellers translated into multiple languages, including “Piaskowa Góra”, “Ciemno, prawie noc” (Dark, Almost Night), and “Gorzko, gorzko” (Bitter, Bitter), beloved by hundreds of thousands of readers. A runner and lover of Japanese culture, she lives in Podkowa Leśna with her people, dogs, and cats.
In this meeting, the acclaimed author offers a behind-the-scenes look at her writing process. She shares how the ideas for her award-winning novels were born. Readers will revisit familiar characters such as Berta Koch, Kasia Makara, and Jadzia Chmura. With added commentary and interpretations, fans will gain a unique insight into Joanna Bator’s creative mind.
June 24, 6:00 PM – Claudia Durastanti (b. 1984) – Italian writer and translator, born in Brooklyn. At age six, she moved with her mother and brother to Gallicchio in Basilicata. A graduate of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, she has published in Granta, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Serving Library. She is a board member of the Turin International Book Fair and co-founder of the Italian Literature Festival in London. A music columnist for Internazionale.
She debuted in 2010 with the novel “Un giorno verrò a lanciare sassi alla tua finestra”, which earned the Mondello Prize, among others. Her most acclaimed book, “La straniera” (“Stranger”), was published in 2019 and made it to the final of the prestigious Strega Prize. It also received the Strega Off Prize and the Luigi Russo Prize, and was a finalist for the Alassio Centolibri, Viareggio, and Stresa Prizes. The novel has been translated into over twenty languages, with a TV adaptation currently in development.
June 25, 6:00 PM – Gwendoline Riley – British author, regarded as one of the most outstanding contemporary writers in the UK and Ireland. In 2018, Times Literary Supplement named her one of the twenty best British and Irish novelists working today.
Her fifth novel “First Love” was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. Her sixth, “My Phantoms”, was shortlisted for the Folio Prize.
With striking precision and emotional restraint, Riley creates powerful portraits of human relationships – intimate, tense, and often painful. This rare encounter is an invitation into her raw yet profoundly honest literary world.
June 26, 6:00 PM – Eliza Clark – Originally from Newcastle, now based in London. A graduate of Chelsea College of Art, she received the Young Writers’ Talent Fund grant in 2018. Her debut novel “Boy Parts”, published in 2022, was nominated for the Women’s Prize Futures Award.
In 2023, Granta named her one of the most promising young British novelists. Known for her bold tone, internet-era aesthetics, and provocative humor, she is also active on social media under the name @FancyEliza.
WOMEN TALKING: GWENDOLINE RILEY
18:00
/ Literature
Festival Club
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Two murders. Two perpetrators. Two motives. The police in Brest will mistakenly attribute both murders to one of the perpetrators, completely overlooking the other. That’s the whole story. Banal. There is nothing more banal than a murder in the theatre. “Querelle” is a story about people in search of love. They are tormented by guilt that prevents them from accepting their own identity. Who they are feels like a crime committed at birth. Torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for freedom, tempted by the prospect of a fuller life, aware of the inevitable end, and yet fearful of any change. Everything changes when a sailor, murderer, and smuggler — Georges Querelle — crosses the threshold of the La Feria brothel.
The idea of murder often evokes the image of the sea and sailors. The sea and sailors do not appear as a distinct picture, murder rather awakens emotions that crash against the waves. Ports are often the stage of crimes, and we shall not dwell on this fact, which is easily explained, but we know from many chronicles that the murderer was a sailor, real or disguised, and if disguised, even more so connected with the sea. (…) Thus, the drama that is about to unfold here is meant to be presented as a particular internal mechanism. Let us also add that it is intended for homosexuals. The idea of the sea and crime is naturally accompanied by the idea of love or pleasure — or rather the idea of love against nature.
~ Jean Genet, “Querelle de Brest”
Two murders. Two perpetrators. Two motives. The police in Brest will mistakenly attribute both murders to one of the perpetrators, completely overlooking the other. That’s the whole story. Banal. There is nothing more banal than a murder in the theatre.
“Querelle” is a story about people in search of love. They are tormented by guilt that prevents them from accepting their own identity. Who they are feels like a crime committed at birth. Torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for freedom, tempted by the prospect of a fuller life, aware of the inevitable end, and yet fearful of any change.
Everything changes when a sailor, murderer, and smuggler — Georges Querelle — crosses the threshold of the La Feria brothel.
The performance takes place on the Main Stage
The Main Stage is equipped with a hearing induction loop
Venue accessibility → Teatr Polski in Poznań
QUERELLE
19:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Do not bring it up unless you have to. Skip it, stay silent, step aside. Don’t answer, block the contact, put it away—for a while, for later, on a forgotten shelf.
Can passivity be a form of rebellion? Can withdrawing from a relationship become a ruthless knockout blow aimed at the other person? And what if the suspension applies to the bond between a daughter and her mother? After all, there is only one mother.
“There Is Only One” is an absurd, terrifying, and darkly humorous study of a relationship held together by the last threads of communication between an adult child and a parent. Amid silent emotions, jealousy, loneliness, and disappointment, a picture of an impossible bond emerges—one that still pulses with life.
Where do boundaries end when we protect our own? Why does the daughter become the parent to her own mother? And finally, what do we do with all that love if the mother rejects it?
Directed by Pamela Leończyk with a script by Daria Sobik, the performance is set within an unconventional scenographic arrangement curated by Aleksandra Pietrzak. It features works by Anna Myszkowiak, represented by Molski Gallery. In her artistic practice, Myszkowiak brings to life the experience of corporeality and intimacy, allowing us to imagine others’ emotions and to step beyond the limits of our own.
During the day, the performance transforms into an exhibition, which will be open to the public from June 25 to 29 at Scena Robocza in Poznań.
“I think I’m writing about my mother so that now it’s me who gives birth to her” — writes Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux in one of her micro-novels. These words became the inspiration behind writing an autobiographical drama about a severed mother-daughter bond.
What is she doing now? Is she alive? What did she eat for dinner?
These questions, due to a once-close but broken relationship, will remain unanswered, yet they arise almost every day. So do the ambivalent feelings—ranging from disgust to longing, from the sense of rejection through unconditional love to self-destructive rage.
The play “There Is Only One” is a project that, through an attempt to understand, offers other women who found the only way to live without fear in the suspension of their relationship with their mother a chance to find peace and harmony within themselves.
Pamela Leończyk – theatre director, installation artist, theatre educator and accessibility coordinator. She graduated in theatre directing from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, and holds degrees in theatre studies and performance studies from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She is a member of the Board of the Guild of Polish Theatre Directors. She collaborates with the Association of Theatre Educators and the Foundation for Socio-Economic Initiatives. She was a recipient of the New Theatre Lab grant organized by Teatr Nowy Proxima in Kraków, the “New Stage” programme by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Animatus international installation competition, as well as art scholarships from the cities of Suwałki, Kraków (2020), and Warsaw (2021).
Her theatre work has been presented at the FIST Festival in Belgrade. Her play Night Swimmers won the main prize at the International Festival of Theatre and Avant-Garde Art “Pestka”; Body Process received the Grand Prix at the National Independent Theatre Festival OFTeN; and her Winter’s Tale work-in-progress won the New Yorick Award at the 27th Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival. She has collaborated with Teatr Powszechny in Warsaw, Tasca Teatro in Turin, Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń, Teatr 21, Teatr Nowy Proxima in Kraków, Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art in Gdańsk and the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Słupsk.
Daria Sobik – playwright and dramaturge. She graduated in theatre studies from the Jagiellonian University and cultural studies from the University of Silesia. Finalist of the Gdynia Drama Award, New Drama Stage at the W. Siemaszkowa Theatre in Rzeszów, and the Young(er) Poland competition at the National Stary Theatre in Kraków (From the Same Cloth with Mariusz Gołosz). She was a semi-finalist of the “You’ll Never Walk Alone” competition at TR Warszawa and a New Yorick Award winner (with Pamela Leończyk) at the 27th Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival. She has worked as dramaturge and playwright at Teatr Powszechny and Teatr Studio in Warsaw, Teatr Nowy in Łódź, Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz, Zagłębie Theatre in Sosnowiec, Adam Mickiewicz Theatre in Częstochowa, and New National Theatre in Tokyo. Her plays have been published by Dialog and Notatnik Teatralny.
Monika Roszko – graduate of the Acting Department at the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Kraków. A film and theatre actress, she has been a member of the Polish Theatre ensemble in Poznań since 2016. She is known for her roles in K. (dir. M. Strzępka), The Trojan Women (dir. K. Michalak), Odysseus (dir. E. Marciniak), The Great Frederic (dir. J. Klata), Brave Piotrek and Orphan Marysia. A Fairy Tale for Adults (dir. W. Rubin), 28 Days (dir. K. Siwińska), Nana(dir. M. Pęcikiewicz), The Stranger (dir. K. Minkowska), The Death of John Paul II (dir. J. Skrzywanek), Colourful Dreams (dir. Sz. Adamczak and W. Rodak), Family Tapes (dir. P. Pacześniak), and The Hague (dir. S. Denisova). She made her film debut in Volhynia (dir. W. Smarzowski) in 2016. In 2018, she was recognised in the “Subjective List of Theatre Actors” by Jacek Sieradzki, and in 2021 she was nominated for the Medal of Young Art by Głos Wielkopolski.
Halina Chmielarz – graduate of the Acting Department at the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź. She performed at the Powszechny Theatre in Radom (1992–93), the Eighth Day Theatre in Poznań (1993–94, 2000–2002), the Polish Theatre in Poznań (1995–97), and the Rozmaitości Theatre in Warsaw (1997–99). She has also collaborated with the National Theatre in Warsaw, the Baltic Dramatic Theatre in Koszalin, and the Municipal Theatre in Leszno. She is known for her roles in television, films and serials.
Magdalena Sowul – composer, music producer, vocalist and clarinettist born in 1989. She received the City of Warsaw Art Scholarship for her music project The Last Creak. As part of the project, she wrote the play Sexy Corpse Core and composed and recorded eight songs about girlhood.
Anna Myszkowiak – sculptor and installation artist from Biłgoraj. She is a final-year student at the Faculty of Sculpture, University of the Arts in Poznań, and a graduate of the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Lublin (specialising in woodcarving). She won the Grand Prix at the 16th LOOSTROO Autumn Art Salon (2024) and received Ministry of Culture scholarships for artistic achievements (2025, 2019). Her works explore embodiment, discomfort and wonder, using both classical sculptural materials (wood, metal) and everyday objects (blankets, baking paper, found items). In There Is Only One, her sculptures form a key part of the scenography.
Aleksandra Pietrzak – curator, art historian and critic, and research associate at the National Museum in Poznań. She holds degrees in Art History (Jagiellonian University), Contemporary Art (Pedagogical University in Kraków), and Museum Studies (University of Warsaw). She is the author of the “Museum Lesson” series for Czas Kultury and has contributed to Rynek i Sztuka and Restart. In There Is Only One, she curates the scenography.
Funded by the City of Poznań #poznanwspiera Funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
THERE IS ONLY ONE
19:00
/ Theatre
The Working Stage
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Malta Festival expands its music lineup with exciting support acts ahead of performances by global stars!
25.06: hoshii x BADADNOTGOOD
It’s hard to find a hotter name on the contemporary Polish jazz scene than hoshii. Founded by saxophonist Kuba Więcek — the 2024 Polityka Passport award-winner in the popular music category — this project draws heavily from the rich musical heritage of Japan, reinterpreting it through the lens of modern nu-jazz, instrumental hip-hop, and hypnotic electronica. Their upcoming second album, Her Name Was Yumi, is one of the most anticipated Polish releases of 2025. Yet hoshii’s versatility lies not only in their unique compositions but also in their openness to collaboration — as proven by the hoshii sessions series, which has seen the group join forces with artists like Daria ze Śląska, Paulina and Natalia Przybysz, schafter, and Baranovski.
Their performance at Malta Festival will perfectly complement the headline act of the evening — Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD, known for blending genres just as boldly. Their collaborations include legends like Ghostface Killah from Wu-Tang Clan, Future Islands’ Samuel Herring, and bossa nova icon Arthur Verocai.
“Her Name Was Yumi” is the second studio album by hoshii, the project launched by saxophonist Kuba Więcek at the end of 2022. On this record, the musicians deliberately distance themselves from the weight of European genre conventions, instead exploring sounds that evoke hope and a free spirit. Musically, they embrace deep synth basslines, intensified electronic textures, and rich sampling, redefining their approach to composition.
Following their debut album, hoshii launched the hoshii sessions series, inviting hip-hop and alternative artists to collaborate. After three successful seasons, the project culminated in a sold-out concert on the main stage of the NOSPR (Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra), featuring artists such as schafter, Kukon, and The Dumplings.
The album title references YUMI (夢美 – “beautiful dream” in Japanese) — a fictional friend of hoshii who brings the artist back to Earth when life on the distant planet Versus feels too overwhelming. But even among earthly sounds, loneliness proves inescapable. Eventually, overcome with longing, YUMI decides to travel and reunite with her friend.
“Her Name Was Yumi” is a musical journey filled with experimentation, freedom, and a bold new sonic identity. It showcases hoshii in a new light — more self-aware, fearless, and unconstrained by genre boundaries.
BADBADNOTGOOD and hoshii will perform on Wednesday, June 25 at Hall 6 of the Poznań International Fair.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 hoshii
21:00 BADBADNOTGOOD
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT BEFORE BADBADNOTGOOD
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
HOSHII / SUPPORT BEFORE BADBADNOTGOOD
19:30
/ Music, Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
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Welcome to the LOCAL GIRLS STAGE – our festival DJ stage filled with sisterhood, electronic music, and shared passion!
For seven evenings, Festival Club will come alive with DJ sets by artists connected to the Local Girls Movement – participants and graduates of our DJ workshops dedicated to women and people with lived experience of womanhood. Joining them on stage will be artists active in Poznań’s vibrant electronic music scene. This is a space for debuts, experiments, and musical encounters that transcend generations and personal stories.
Local Girls Movement is a collective of dedicated women who invest their time and energy into empowering and educating women and individuals with experience of womanhood. Our main goal is to create a safe space where we can share knowledge and grow skills across various fields.
We organize free, open meetings for anyone interested, featuring invited experts such as gynecologists, sexologists, literary scholars, and professors. These sessions offer valuable insights and practical knowledge on topics that are often difficult or taboo to discuss in public.
We create a space for exchange, networking, and support.
We believe music is a tool for change and community-building.
Come by – to listen, dance, connect, and experience something new.
The stage is live every day from 8:00 PM. Free entry.
LOCAL GIRLS STAGE
20:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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HIT OUT is the agile and compact version of HIT, a choreographic and musical project in which rope skipping is used as a percussive element to manifest embodied rhythms.
After one year of athletic training supported by the Italian jumpers’ community and sponsored by MarcRope (Milan), Parini Secondo and Bienoise focus on the sound produced by rope skipping, dissecting its timbral possibilities. The jumpers on stage perform a rhythmic and at the same time choreographic score in which single-unders, side-swings and double-unders are both athletic and musical elements: combined with voice and synthetic sounds, they harmonize into a true HIT.
HIT elevates the intimate practice of training into a performative action: the hammering succession of rope strokes is an echo of rebellion against those forces that would have us lying motionless on the ground with our eyes closed.
There’s a reason why you came here
Every second getting far and far
Failure brings a new perspective
To renew the meaning of your past
High hopes and higher mind
To read a world that’s blind
There’s no reason baby I won’t lie
There’s no reason to give up the fight
Parini Secondo was born in 2017 from Sissj Bassani and Martina Piazzi with Camilla Neri and Francesca Pizzagalli. Questioning the relationship between art and originality, the group works on choreography to sublimate pop trends by being inspired by online material. They collaborate with musician, producer and teacher Alberto Ricca/bienoise, emphasizing the importance of the relationship between music, rhythm and dance.
After the iconic SPEEED (2020) and the international production be me (2021), Parini participates in NID Platform 2023 with do-around-the-world. In 2024 they released the new production HIT and HIT OUT, developed in between Italy, France, Norway and Taiwan and premiered in Bolzano Danza and Santarcangelo Festival. In 2025 comes INCANTO (working title), a new production for theatre venues, scheduled to debut in 2026
In 2024 Parini creates and curates the festival Tra questa gente esiste un sentimento (en: Among this people there is a feeling) within the program of Teatro Petrella (Longiano, IT), in collaboration with Cronopios and ATER Fondazione.
25.06, 20.30 – Old Market Square
26.06, 20.30 – Old Market Square
27.06, 17.00 – Liberty Square
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
No language barriers
The event takes place in an open public space, with natural city sounds present
Venue accessibility: Plac Wolności (Freedom Square)
Venue accessibility: Stary Rynek (Old Market Square)
Venue accessibility: Stara Rzeźnia (Old Slaughterhouse)
HIT OUT
20:30
/ Theatre, Performance, Open-air
Poznań
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Canadian ensemble BADBADNOTGOOD made their name by crossing genre. This seamless movement between style hit hard when they took hip hop into jazz and vice versa. Their latest album – and first with XL recordings – demonstrates them going back to their instrumental beginnings. Instead of looking at the now, they reflected the history and innovation of those that influenced them. To paraphrase Lamont Dozier, this is an album about going back to their roots.
BADBADNOTGOOD formed in 2010, moving between three and four members before establishing its current line up in 2015. The band, aka Alexander Sowinski (drums), Chester Hansen (bass) and Leland Whitty (guitar and woodwinds), met on the Humber College jazz program in Toronto. At the time, instead of working with traditional jazz standards, the group sidestepped and drew from hip hop and other contemporary genres to create a unique sound rooted in Black American music, but 2021’s “Talk Memory” pays homage to the musicians, composers and influences that first informed their work.
One of the central driving forces behind their latest album was to capture some of the focus, energy and improvisation which is at the heart of their live shows. As they noted, a song is a living breathing thing that naturally changes and evolves as it is played in different settings. This is an album that plays with that thinking. After years of touring, the band paused, refreshed and looked at their history and experiences before starting out on their current instrumental project. A sense of reflection and renewed communication is at the heart of their current approach to making music, and the spark that led to the album’s pensive title “Talk Memory”. Instead of recording and then developing the tracks on tour, the band decided to slow down and rethink their creative process. By the time they entered the studio and recorded the improvised performances, they had already clearly approached the process of writing and composition. The approach was more intentional, had a longer gestation period and was created over two years. The speed of their compositions, performance and sound has shifted in fresh ways. Instead of improvising and growing their tracks on tour, that process happened in the studio.
The band demonstrates a sense of emotional and poetic progress, not just technique and virtuosity. They consider themselves constant students, always listening and striving for new directions. Those new paths range from moments of cinematic pacing to distorted improvisation. The album is a kind of aural odyssey, with all the sense of psychedelic narrative that entails. It is about drawing on the energy of collaboration as it happens. The band recorded their latest work in analog studios, as an intentional way to stay present and experience without drawing from the internet for research or references.
There is also a shift to the collective rather than the ego. Rather than focus on credit, this is an album about collective balance and harmony. Even when it includes guests like iconic Brazilian producer and musician Arthur Verocai. Here the energy is about community and ensemble in its true sense. When New Orleans jazz emerged in the early 20th century, the concept of united syncopated rhythms playing as an ensemble group was fundamental to its sound. The birth of 20th century music was intertwined with the concept of collaboration. Here there is something utopic about collaboration, community and music as a special, perhaps even spiritual form of non-verbal communication.
“Talk Memory” does not exist in a vacuum. It is the first element in a multi par project, which exist as projects in their own right as well as intersect. The project is deeply cross generational, as BADBADNOTGOOD brought attention to the lineage of artists that came before them and explored the privilege of being able to bring their experience and skill to their music. The album includes contributions from a breadth of multi-instrumentalists including Arthur Verocai, Laraaji, Terrace Martin, Brandee Younger, and Karriem Riggins, with the album mix coming from Russell Elevado.
Another element is an expanded take on a contemporary counter culture book. The direction and sense of this publication will be preempted by a series of poster zines released with each single. The book is a homage to the structure and expanded take on meaning and information in something like the 1960’s “Whole Earth Catalog”. A brainstorm and examination of concepts, creators, spaces, objects, teachers, terms and many other things BADBADNOTGOOD are passionate about. It was also a chance to speak and profile their collaborators in more detail. What holds everything together is, of course, music.
BADBADNOTGOOD’s latest album emphasizes how music as a conversation is innately collaborative and improvisational. In a way, their album is a giant take on a classic moment from live jazz or soul, where a band’s ‘leader’ would introduce each member of an ensemble and invite applause. In turn BBNG, have created an album that is a heartfelt expression of joy for the music and community they are lucky to inhabit.
TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 HOSHII
21:00 BADBADNOTGOOD ON STAGE
The event is partnered by Grupa MTP.
SUPPORT: HOSHII
Entrance to Hall No. 6 is from Grunwaldzka Street via gate No. 5
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Available sector with seats (limited number of seats) – to use the available sector, you must have an OzN ticket or report the need to use a seat by sending an email to: natalia.dabrowska@malta-festival.pl and receive confirmation of your seat reservation from the above address
Availability of the event venue -> MTP Hall No. 6
BADBADNOTGOOD
21:00
/ Music, Concert
MTP “Hall 6”
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Kino kobiet. Cykl filmowy z rozmową w roli głównej i spotkania z wybitnymi twórczyniami polskiej kinematografii.
25 czerwca (środa) – „Bo we mnie jest seks”, reż. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Goście: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (reżyserka), Maria Dębska (aktorka), Katarzyna Kierzek – psycholożka/seksuolożka z Kliniki Uniwersytetu SWPS
Opis filmu: Film opowiada o turbulentnym życiu Kaliny Jędrusik, jej miłościach, karierze i skandalach, które uczyniły ją ikoną polskiej kultury. Akcja rozgrywa się w latach 60. XX wieku w Warszawie. W filmie pojawiają się postaci z życia Kaliny Jędrusik, takie jak jej mąż Stanisław Dygat, Lucek (postać inspirowana Wojciechem Gąssowskim), Jeremi Przybora, Barbara Krafftówna, Kazimierz Kutz i Tadeusz Konwicki. Film “Bo we mnie jest seks” przedstawia zarówno blaski, jak i cienie życia Kaliny Jędrusik, jej wzloty i upadki w karierze oraz skandale, które sprawiły, że stała się legendą.
Malta Festival zaprasza na wyjątkowy filmowy cykl „Kino kobiet”, którego bezpłatne pokazy i spotkania odbywać się będą od 20 do 28 czerwca na Starym Rynku w Poznaniu. Choć na pierwszy plan wysuwają się znakomite filmy, tym, co nada całości unikalnego charakteru, będą pogłębione nocne rozmowy ze znakomitymi twórczyniami i twórcami polskiej kinematografii. Wśród zaproszonych gościń pojawią się reżyserki: Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska a także aktorki: Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, Marta Ojrzyńska. Partnerować im będą ekspertki i eksperci Uniwersytetu SWPS, uzupełniając prezentowane historie o nowe konteksty i znaczenia. Będzie to unikalna okazja, aby spotkać się, porozmawiać w tak wyjątkowym gronie nie tylko o filmach.
Cykl „Kino kobiet” to nowy rozdział w historii festiwalu, który w swojej odświeżonej odsłonie zaprasza do dialogu. Program cyklu wpisuje się w charakter Malta Festival jako miejsca wymiany myśli. Wszystkie pokazy zakończą się rozmowami, do których zaproszone zostały nie tylko twórczynie filmów, ale również gościnie i goście specjalni – osoby eksperckie z Uniwersytetu SWPS z zakresu psychologii, kulturoznawstwa czy praktyki społecznej. Spotkania poprowadzi dziennikarka filmowa i publicystka Anna Serdiukow, która zachęca:
Każda projekcja zamieni się w wielogłosową wymianę myśli, uczuć i doświadczeń. Wspólnie zastanowimy się nad tym, co w tych historiach rezonuje najmocniej – i dlaczego.
To właśnie kino – w szczególności kino tworzone przez kobiety – stało się w tym roku punktem wyjścia do spotkań i rozmów na ważkie tematy: o bliskości i przemocy, o dorastaniu i samotności, o uzależnieniach, klasowości, seksualności i społecznym wykluczeniu.
Spotkania odbędą się w przytulnej, domowej atmosferze, gdzie o komfort publiczności zadbała firma VOX – polska marka wnętrzarska od lat związana z festiwalem Malta i zaangażowana w działania kulturalne.
Filmy zaprezentowane zostaną z angielskimi napisami, co umożliwi udział także międzynarodowej publiczności.
Projekcje będą odbywać się o godz. 21:00 w pasażu Quadro na Starym Rynku. Tuż po ich zakończeniu organizatorzy zapraszają na spotkanie i rozmowy z udziałem reżyserek prezentowanych obrazów.
Bezpłatne wejściówki można pobrać najwcześniej w dniu poprzedzającym projekcję i w dniu projekcji. Jedna osoba może pobrać maksymalnie dwie wejściówki na dany wieczór.
20 czerwca (piątek) – „Imago”, reż. Olga Chajdas
Goście: Olga Chajdas (reżyserka), Justyna Wasilewska (aktorka), dr Anna Kubiak – psycholog z Uniwersytetu SWPS
21 czerwca (sobota) – „To nie mój film”, reż. Maria Zbąska
Goście: Maria Zbąska (reżyserka), Krzysztof Wiśniewski – operator kamery, dr Aleksandra Plata – psycholog, seksuolog z Kliniki Uniwersytetu SWPS
22 czerwca (niedziela) – „Inni ludzie”, reż. Aleksandra Terpińska
Goście: Aleksandra Terpińska, Marta Ojrzyńska (aktorka), dr Anna Kubiak – psycholog z Uniwersytetu SWPS
23 czerwca (poniedziałek) – „Córki dancingu”, reż. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Goście: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (reżyserka), Robert Bolesto (autor scenariusza), Marta Mazurek (aktorka), dr Agnieszka Trawicka – psycholożka/seksuolożka z Kliniki Uniwersytetu SWPS
24 czerwca (wtorek) – „Zabawa, zabawa”, reż. Kinga Dębska
Goście: Kinga Dębska (reżyserka), Dorota Kolak (aktorka), Julia Bączek – psycholog, psychoterapeutka z Kliniki Uniwersytetu SWPS
25 czerwca (środa) – „Bo we mnie jest seks”, reż. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Goście: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (reżyserka), Maria Dębska (aktorka), Katarzyna Kierzek – psycholożka/seksuolożka z Kliniki Uniwersytetu SWPS
26 czerwca (czwartek) – „Kobieta samotna”, reż. Agnieszka Holland
Gość: Agnieszka Holland (reżyserka)
27 czerwca (piątek) – „Europa Europa”, reż. Agnieszka Holland
Bez spotkania
28 czerwca (sobota) – „Jezioro słone”, reż. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Goście: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (reżyserka), Katarzyna Butowtt (aktorka), dr Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psycholog, seksuolog z Uniwersytetu SWPS
Dostępność miejsca, w którym odbywa się wydarzenie -> Stary Rynek
KINO KOBIET: BO WE MNIE JEST SEKS
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Pasaż Quadro na Starym Rynku
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26.06/Thursday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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Jan Baszak’s sculptural installation will respond to contemporary moods and aesthetic longings. A gap in the existing order that opens up to new perspectives. A redefinition of the social construct. A reaction to a reality that triggers fear. A gesture of hope, change, and a smile on a tear-streaked face. An autumn that lasts all year long. “Letztraum” will primarily be an egalitarian space for interspecies cohabitation – a place resembling a freestanding structure, a dedicated room, a greenhouse, or a shelter. A den, a sculpture, and an installation built from textile scraps and metal. A melancholic world in amber hues, a ruin in the making, collapsing under the weight of weeds. It will be a space of inclusive co-presence: of people, leather-and-sock creatures, non-human beings, ghosts, and other entities pushed out of everyday experience. A room bathed in orange light. A sunset. The last rays of the sun pleasantly stinging the eyes. The final moment of warmth and calm. Baszak’s installation will become a shared, introspective breath—one that finally breaks away from binary divisions.
Curatorial team: Jagna Domżalska, Kamil Mizgala
June 25 – July 27, 2025
Fireplace Room (1st floor)
Opening: June 24, 2025, at 6 PM
Free admission
Open daily from 12:00 to 8:00 PM
Jan Baszak is a graduate of the Academy of Art in Szczecin (2019) and the University of the Arts in Poznań (2017). He lives and works in Berlin, where he creates works at the intersection of intimacy and melancholy. His sculptures are made from post-human materials and reclaimed textiles. In his practice, he explores the complex relationships between humans and non-human beings, the mysticism of interspecies eye contact, and proposes visions of communities founded on the principles of Halloween-style egalitarianism.
LETZTRAUM
12:00
/ Fringe events
CK ZAMEK
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
13:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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‚‚SPEEED” is a choreographic and musical project created by Parini Secondo and Alberto Ricca/Bienoise, inspired by the Para Para and Eurobeat phenomenon, which spread in the 90s in Tokyo clubs. Para Para is a dance style characterised by colorful aesthetics and hyper-dynamic gestures; its peculiarity is the arm movements, which describe the caffeinic over-excitement of Eurobeat music through complex gestural combinations inspired by Japanese animation.
Originally, fans learned the routines by purchasing VHS tutorials or directly in clubs, where experts would teach the new choreographies to the audience before a party; nowadays, digital archiving has made them available online, where Parini’s research already resides. The method developed by the collective consists in the construction of a database of choreographies taken from video-tutorials, studied by each dancer following a common schedule: SPEEED takes shape by adapting these choreographic sequences of the time to the original music written by Alberto Ricca/Bienoise.
SPEEED is a work of camouflage because it faithfully copies its source of inspiration: the dancers on stage stimulate you to react, a 160 bpm slap throws you into a centrifuge of pure and genuine enthusiasm where tuning cars play very loud Eurobeat music.
Parini Secondo was born in 2017 from Sissj Bassani and Martina Piazzi with Camilla Neri and Francesca Pizzagalli. Questioning the relationship between art and originality, the group works on choreography to sublimate pop trends by being inspired by online material. They collaborate with musician, producer and teacher Alberto Ricca/bienoise, emphasizing the importance of the relationship between music, rhythm and dance.
After the iconic SPEEED (2020) and the international production be me (2021), Parini participates in NID Platform 2023 with do-around-the-world. In 2024 they released the new production HIT and HIT OUT, developed in between Italy, France, Norway and Taiwan and premiered in Bolzano Danza and Santarcangelo Festival. In 2025 comes INCANTO (working title), a new production for theatre venues, scheduled to debut in 2026
In 2024 Parini creates and curates the festival Tra questa gente esiste un sentimento (en: Among this people there is a feeling) within the program of Teatro Petrella (Longiano, IT), in collaboration with Cronopios and ATER Fondazione.
25.06, 17:30 – Liberty Square
26.06, 17:00 – Liberty Square
27.06, 21:30 – Liberty Square
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
No language barriers
The event takes place in an open public space, with natural city sounds present
Venue accessibility: Plac Wolności (Freedom Square)
Venue accessibility: Stary Rynek (Old Market Square)
Venue accessibility: Stara Rzeźnia (Old Slaughterhouse)
SPEEED
17:00
/ Theatre, Performance, Open-air
Freedom Square
read more
Malta Festival invites you to a new edition of the “Women Talking” series – a programme of in-depth conversations with acclaimed writers from Poland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Curated and hosted by Michał Nogaś, the events will take place from June 23 to 26 at the Festival Club.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition dedicated to literature written by women, “Women Talking” returns with renewed energy and an equally powerful lineup.
“The title of the series was inspired by Miriam Toews’ acclaimed novel, whose author joined us at Malta Festival last year,” says Michał Nogaś.
Four days of meetings, discussions, and reflection will turn literature into a lens for exploring the world, relationships, and identity. Last year’s conversations demonstrated how crucial it is to create space for women’s writing – not as a niche, but as a central part of how we think about the present moment.
This year’s programme continues in that spirit, inviting us into the literary worlds of four authors who write boldly, uncompromisingly, and on their own terms.
June 23, 6:00 PM – Joanna Bator – A writer, philosopher, and cultural studies scholar. Recipient of prestigious awards including the Nike Literary Award, the Hermann Hesse Prize (Germany), the Spycher Prize (Switzerland), and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature. Author of bestsellers translated into multiple languages, including “Piaskowa Góra”, “Ciemno, prawie noc” (Dark, Almost Night), and “Gorzko, gorzko” (Bitter, Bitter), beloved by hundreds of thousands of readers. A runner and lover of Japanese culture, she lives in Podkowa Leśna with her people, dogs, and cats.
In this meeting, the acclaimed author offers a behind-the-scenes look at her writing process. She shares how the ideas for her award-winning novels were born. Readers will revisit familiar characters such as Berta Koch, Kasia Makara, and Jadzia Chmura. With added commentary and interpretations, fans will gain a unique insight into Joanna Bator’s creative mind.
June 24, 6:00 PM – Claudia Durastanti (b. 1984) – Italian writer and translator, born in Brooklyn. At age six, she moved with her mother and brother to Gallicchio in Basilicata. A graduate of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, she has published in Granta, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Serving Library. She is a board member of the Turin International Book Fair and co-founder of the Italian Literature Festival in London. A music columnist for Internazionale.
She debuted in 2010 with the novel “Un giorno verrò a lanciare sassi alla tua finestra”, which earned the Mondello Prize, among others. Her most acclaimed book, “La straniera” (“Stranger”), was published in 2019 and made it to the final of the prestigious Strega Prize. It also received the Strega Off Prize and the Luigi Russo Prize, and was a finalist for the Alassio Centolibri, Viareggio, and Stresa Prizes. The novel has been translated into over twenty languages, with a TV adaptation currently in development.
June 25, 6:00 PM – Gwendoline Riley – British author, regarded as one of the most outstanding contemporary writers in the UK and Ireland. In 2018, Times Literary Supplement named her one of the twenty best British and Irish novelists working today.
Her fifth novel “First Love” was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. Her sixth, “My Phantoms”, was shortlisted for the Folio Prize.
With striking precision and emotional restraint, Riley creates powerful portraits of human relationships – intimate, tense, and often painful. This rare encounter is an invitation into her raw yet profoundly honest literary world.
June 26, 6:00 PM – Eliza Clark – Originally from Newcastle, now based in London. A graduate of Chelsea College of Art, she received the Young Writers’ Talent Fund grant in 2018. Her debut novel “Boy Parts”, published in 2022, was nominated for the Women’s Prize Futures Award.
In 2023, Granta named her one of the most promising young British novelists. Known for her bold tone, internet-era aesthetics, and provocative humor, she is also active on social media under the name @FancyEliza.
If the guest identifies as an English speaker, the meeting will also be translated into Polish
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
WOMEN TALKING: ELIZA CLARK
18:00
/ Literature
Festival Club
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Two murders. Two perpetrators. Two motives. The police in Brest will mistakenly attribute both murders to one of the perpetrators, completely overlooking the other. That’s the whole story. Banal. There is nothing more banal than a murder in the theatre. “Querelle” is a story about people in search of love. They are tormented by guilt that prevents them from accepting their own identity. Who they are feels like a crime committed at birth. Torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for freedom, tempted by the prospect of a fuller life, aware of the inevitable end, and yet fearful of any change. Everything changes when a sailor, murderer, and smuggler — Georges Querelle — crosses the threshold of the La Feria brothel.
The idea of murder often evokes the image of the sea and sailors. The sea and sailors do not appear as a distinct picture, murder rather awakens emotions that crash against the waves. Ports are often the stage of crimes, and we shall not dwell on this fact, which is easily explained, but we know from many chronicles that the murderer was a sailor, real or disguised, and if disguised, even more so connected with the sea. (…) Thus, the drama that is about to unfold here is meant to be presented as a particular internal mechanism. Let us also add that it is intended for homosexuals. The idea of the sea and crime is naturally accompanied by the idea of love or pleasure — or rather the idea of love against nature.
~ Jean Genet, “Querelle de Brest”
Two murders. Two perpetrators. Two motives. The police in Brest will mistakenly attribute both murders to one of the perpetrators, completely overlooking the other. That’s the whole story. Banal. There is nothing more banal than a murder in the theatre.
“Querelle” is a story about people in search of love. They are tormented by guilt that prevents them from accepting their own identity. Who they are feels like a crime committed at birth. Torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for freedom, tempted by the prospect of a fuller life, aware of the inevitable end, and yet fearful of any change.
Everything changes when a sailor, murderer, and smuggler — Georges Querelle — crosses the threshold of the La Feria brothel.
The performance takes place on the Main Stage
The Main Stage is equipped with a hearing induction loop
Venue accessibility → Teatr Polski in Poznań
QUERELLE
19:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Welcome to the LOCAL GIRLS STAGE – our festival DJ stage filled with sisterhood, electronic music, and shared passion!
For seven evenings, Festival Club will come alive with DJ sets by artists connected to the Local Girls Movement – participants and graduates of our DJ workshops dedicated to women and people with lived experience of womanhood. Joining them on stage will be artists active in Poznań’s vibrant electronic music scene. This is a space for debuts, experiments, and musical encounters that transcend generations and personal stories.
Local Girls Movement is a collective of dedicated women who invest their time and energy into empowering and educating women and individuals with experience of womanhood. Our main goal is to create a safe space where we can share knowledge and grow skills across various fields.
We organize free, open meetings for anyone interested, featuring invited experts such as gynecologists, sexologists, literary scholars, and professors. These sessions offer valuable insights and practical knowledge on topics that are often difficult or taboo to discuss in public.
We create a space for exchange, networking, and support.
We believe music is a tool for change and community-building.
Come by – to listen, dance, connect, and experience something new.
The stage is live every day from 8:00 PM. Free entry.
LOCAL GIRLS STAGE
20:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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HIT OUT is the agile and compact version of HIT, a choreographic and musical project in which rope skipping is used as a percussive element to manifest embodied rhythms.
After one year of athletic training supported by the Italian jumpers’ community and sponsored by MarcRope (Milan), Parini Secondo and Bienoise focus on the sound produced by rope skipping, dissecting its timbral possibilities. The jumpers on stage perform a rhythmic and at the same time choreographic score in which single-unders, side-swings and double-unders are both athletic and musical elements: combined with voice and synthetic sounds, they harmonize into a true HIT.
HIT elevates the intimate practice of training into a performative action: the hammering succession of rope strokes is an echo of rebellion against those forces that would have us lying motionless on the ground with our eyes closed.
There’s a reason why you came here
Every second getting far and far
Failure brings a new perspective
To renew the meaning of your past
High hopes and higher mind
To read a world that’s blind
There’s no reason baby I won’t lie
There’s no reason to give up the fight
Parini Secondo was born in 2017 from Sissj Bassani and Martina Piazzi with Camilla Neri and Francesca Pizzagalli. Questioning the relationship between art and originality, the group works on choreography to sublimate pop trends by being inspired by online material. They collaborate with musician, producer and teacher Alberto Ricca/bienoise, emphasizing the importance of the relationship between music, rhythm and dance.
After the iconic SPEEED (2020) and the international production be me (2021), Parini participates in NID Platform 2023 with do-around-the-world. In 2024 they released the new production HIT and HIT OUT, developed in between Italy, France, Norway and Taiwan and premiered in Bolzano Danza and Santarcangelo Festival. In 2025 comes INCANTO (working title), a new production for theatre venues, scheduled to debut in 2026
In 2024 Parini creates and curates the festival Tra questa gente esiste un sentimento (en: Among this people there is a feeling) within the program of Teatro Petrella (Longiano, IT), in collaboration with Cronopios and ATER Fondazione.
25.06, 20.30 – Old Market Square
26.06, 20.30 – Old Market Square
27.06, 17.00 – Liberty Square
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
No language barriers
The event takes place in an open public space, with natural city sounds present
Venue accessibility: Plac Wolności (Freedom Square)
Venue accessibility: Stary Rynek (Old Market Square)
Venue accessibility: Stara Rzeźnia (Old Slaughterhouse)
HIT OUT
20:30
/ Theatre, Performance, Open-air
Poznań
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Do not bring it up unless you have to. Skip it, stay silent, step aside. Don’t answer, block the contact, put it away—for a while, for later, on a forgotten shelf.
Can passivity be a form of rebellion? Can withdrawing from a relationship become a ruthless knockout blow aimed at the other person? And what if the suspension applies to the bond between a daughter and her mother? After all, there is only one mother.
“There Is Only One” is an absurd, terrifying, and darkly humorous study of a relationship held together by the last threads of communication between an adult child and a parent. Amid silent emotions, jealousy, loneliness, and disappointment, a picture of an impossible bond emerges—one that still pulses with life.
Where do boundaries end when we protect our own? Why does the daughter become the parent to her own mother? And finally, what do we do with all that love if the mother rejects it?
Directed by Pamela Leończyk with a script by Daria Sobik, the performance is set within an unconventional scenographic arrangement curated by Aleksandra Pietrzak. It features works by Anna Myszkowiak, represented by Molski Gallery. In her artistic practice, Myszkowiak brings to life the experience of corporeality and intimacy, allowing us to imagine others’ emotions and to step beyond the limits of our own.
During the day, the performance transforms into an exhibition, which will be open to the public from June 25 to 29 at Scena Robocza in Poznań.
“I think I’m writing about my mother so that now it’s me who gives birth to her” — writes Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux in one of her micro-novels. These words became the inspiration behind writing an autobiographical drama about a severed mother-daughter bond.
What is she doing now? Is she alive? What did she eat for dinner?
These questions, due to a once-close but broken relationship, will remain unanswered, yet they arise almost every day. So do the ambivalent feelings—ranging from disgust to longing, from the sense of rejection through unconditional love to self-destructive rage.
The play “There Is Only One” is a project that, through an attempt to understand, offers other women who found the only way to live without fear in the suspension of their relationship with their mother a chance to find peace and harmony within themselves.
Pamela Leończyk – theatre director, installation artist, theatre educator and accessibility coordinator. She graduated in theatre directing from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, and holds degrees in theatre studies and performance studies from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She is a member of the Board of the Guild of Polish Theatre Directors. She collaborates with the Association of Theatre Educators and the Foundation for Socio-Economic Initiatives. She was a recipient of the New Theatre Lab grant organized by Teatr Nowy Proxima in Kraków, the “New Stage” programme by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Animatus international installation competition, as well as art scholarships from the cities of Suwałki, Kraków (2020), and Warsaw (2021).
Her theatre work has been presented at the FIST Festival in Belgrade. Her play Night Swimmers won the main prize at the International Festival of Theatre and Avant-Garde Art “Pestka”; Body Process received the Grand Prix at the National Independent Theatre Festival OFTeN; and her Winter’s Tale work-in-progress won the New Yorick Award at the 27th Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival. She has collaborated with Teatr Powszechny in Warsaw, Tasca Teatro in Turin, Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń, Teatr 21, Teatr Nowy Proxima in Kraków, Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art in Gdańsk and the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Słupsk.
Daria Sobik – playwright and dramaturge. She graduated in theatre studies from the Jagiellonian University and cultural studies from the University of Silesia. Finalist of the Gdynia Drama Award, New Drama Stage at the W. Siemaszkowa Theatre in Rzeszów, and the Young(er) Poland competition at the National Stary Theatre in Kraków (From the Same Cloth with Mariusz Gołosz). She was a semi-finalist of the “You’ll Never Walk Alone” competition at TR Warszawa and a New Yorick Award winner (with Pamela Leończyk) at the 27th Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival. She has worked as dramaturge and playwright at Teatr Powszechny and Teatr Studio in Warsaw, Teatr Nowy in Łódź, Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz, Zagłębie Theatre in Sosnowiec, Adam Mickiewicz Theatre in Częstochowa, and New National Theatre in Tokyo. Her plays have been published by Dialog and Notatnik Teatralny.
Monika Roszko – graduate of the Acting Department at the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Kraków. A film and theatre actress, she has been a member of the Polish Theatre ensemble in Poznań since 2016. She is known for her roles in K. (dir. M. Strzępka), The Trojan Women (dir. K. Michalak), Odysseus (dir. E. Marciniak), The Great Frederic (dir. J. Klata), Brave Piotrek and Orphan Marysia. A Fairy Tale for Adults (dir. W. Rubin), 28 Days (dir. K. Siwińska), Nana(dir. M. Pęcikiewicz), The Stranger (dir. K. Minkowska), The Death of John Paul II (dir. J. Skrzywanek), Colourful Dreams (dir. Sz. Adamczak and W. Rodak), Family Tapes (dir. P. Pacześniak), and The Hague (dir. S. Denisova). She made her film debut in Volhynia (dir. W. Smarzowski) in 2016. In 2018, she was recognised in the “Subjective List of Theatre Actors” by Jacek Sieradzki, and in 2021 she was nominated for the Medal of Young Art by Głos Wielkopolski.
Halina Chmielarz – graduate of the Acting Department at the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź. She performed at the Powszechny Theatre in Radom (1992–93), the Eighth Day Theatre in Poznań (1993–94, 2000–2002), the Polish Theatre in Poznań (1995–97), and the Rozmaitości Theatre in Warsaw (1997–99). She has also collaborated with the National Theatre in Warsaw, the Baltic Dramatic Theatre in Koszalin, and the Municipal Theatre in Leszno. She is known for her roles in television, films and serials.
Magdalena Sowul – composer, music producer, vocalist and clarinettist born in 1989. She received the City of Warsaw Art Scholarship for her music project The Last Creak. As part of the project, she wrote the play Sexy Corpse Core and composed and recorded eight songs about girlhood.
Anna Myszkowiak – sculptor and installation artist from Biłgoraj. She is a final-year student at the Faculty of Sculpture, University of the Arts in Poznań, and a graduate of the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Lublin (specialising in woodcarving). She won the Grand Prix at the 16th LOOSTROO Autumn Art Salon (2024) and received Ministry of Culture scholarships for artistic achievements (2025, 2019). Her works explore embodiment, discomfort and wonder, using both classical sculptural materials (wood, metal) and everyday objects (blankets, baking paper, found items). In There Is Only One, her sculptures form a key part of the scenography.
Aleksandra Pietrzak – curator, art historian and critic, and research associate at the National Museum in Poznań. She holds degrees in Art History (Jagiellonian University), Contemporary Art (Pedagogical University in Kraków), and Museum Studies (University of Warsaw). She is the author of the “Museum Lesson” series for Czas Kultury and has contributed to Rynek i Sztuka and Restart. In There Is Only One, she curates the scenography.
Funded by the City of Poznań #poznanwspiera Funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
THERE IS ONLY ONE
21:00
/ Theatre
The Working Stage
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Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
Film description: The role of women in society has been a recurring theme in Agnieszka Holland’s early work, including two of her previous television films. “Sunday Children“ (1976) tells the story of a married couple desperately trying to have a child, alongside a young mother slowly coming to terms with her new role. In “Give and Take“, the protagonist is a forty-year-old academic whose life has been devoted to her career—until a chance encounter with a suicidal woman forces her to confront her own suppressed longing for motherhood and reevaluate her life.
“A Woman Alone” centers on Irena, a middle-aged postal worker in a working-class district of Wrocław. Her life is marked by relentless hardship: poor living conditions, a violent neighbor trying to seize her apartment, exhausting commutes, and the daily guilt of leaving her young son alone at home. At work, things are no better—her boss is indifferent, and her colleagues scheme to take over her delivery route. Even the inheritance she hoped would bring relief ends up in the hands of others.
But the deepest wound is her isolation. As a single mother of an illegitimate child, Irena faces social stigma and exclusion. When she meets a disabled pensioner, a fragile bond begins to form between them. Both are outcasts, longing for connection in a world that has turned its back on them. Yet what begins as a glimmer of hope soon turns into a tragedy, as the love Irena clings to proves as brutal and unforgiving as the world around her.
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: A WOMAN ALONE
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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The beloved Teatr Biuro Podróży, a legendary company with decades of history, returns to Malta Festival after a year-long break to premiere its powerful interpretation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s drama, the latest premiere by the internationally acclaimed Teatr Biuro Podróży – beloved by both Poznań’s and global audiences – tells the story of people consumed by dreams of power, who are willing to take the lives of others to achieve it.
In a bold artistic choice, the creators have cast Prospero as a woman. Stripped of her throne and cast into exile, Prospera builds a semblance of a state on a remote island, ruling over two enslaved beings: Ariel, who possesses magical powers and aids her in seeking revenge, and Caliban, who extracts the island’s natural resources.
Prospera’s magic draws to the island a group of power-hungry elites. Their ship wrecks during a violent storm, and the survivors wash ashore. Prospera manipulates reality, tangling their paths and toying with their helplessness. But not everything goes according to plan. Her revenge, originally intended as a means to reconciliation, ultimately leads to a crime.
After its Malta Festival premiere, the production will travel to the UK as part of an international tour celebrating the Polish-British cultural season. The staging of the performance is rooted in strong ecological values: much of the set design is crafted from reclaimed materials, including doors salvaged from Poznań tenement houses.
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
A designated area is provided for people with disabilities (including temporary disabilities) and women in advanced pregnancy to ensure safe viewing of the performance
Venue accessibility → Stara Rzeźnia
THE TEMPEST
22:00
/ Theatre, Open-air, Street theater, Malta on the Streets
Stara Rzeznia
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27.06/Friday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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As part of the HERSTORY by HISTORY Channel project, artist Martyna Ścibior invites women to co-create a painting using their nail polishes. On aluminum sheets, an abstract composition will emerge – a personal, collective, and ecological story of female presence and connection. The nail polishes Martyna works with are not just artistic materials – they are carriers of intimate stories. Each bottle has witnessed daily life, choices, emotions. Collected from women, they become traces of presence, gestures of tenderness or strength, extensions of identity. What was once considered waste gains new life in the form of color, layer, and narrative.
As part of the HERSTORY by HISTORY Channel project, Martyna Ścibior invites women to join in creating a collaborative painting using nail polish. On four large aluminum sheets, an abstract composition will form through individual gestures – rectangular marks that resemble the motion of painting a fingernail. Each participant may bring her own polish, donate leftovers, or use colors provided by others. The collaborative work will begin outdoors and be moved indoors once complete. This artistic action is not only an opportunity for creative exchange but also a symbolic reflection on diversity, attentiveness, and female solidarity. The painting session will last one day. These are gestures that will remain – in color, in form, and in memory.
HERSTORY – PAINTED WITH POLISH
10:00
MTP, “Hall 2”
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Jan Baszak’s sculptural installation will respond to contemporary moods and aesthetic longings. A gap in the existing order that opens up to new perspectives. A redefinition of the social construct. A reaction to a reality that triggers fear. A gesture of hope, change, and a smile on a tear-streaked face. An autumn that lasts all year long. “Letztraum” will primarily be an egalitarian space for interspecies cohabitation – a place resembling a freestanding structure, a dedicated room, a greenhouse, or a shelter. A den, a sculpture, and an installation built from textile scraps and metal. A melancholic world in amber hues, a ruin in the making, collapsing under the weight of weeds. It will be a space of inclusive co-presence: of people, leather-and-sock creatures, non-human beings, ghosts, and other entities pushed out of everyday experience. A room bathed in orange light. A sunset. The last rays of the sun pleasantly stinging the eyes. The final moment of warmth and calm. Baszak’s installation will become a shared, introspective breath—one that finally breaks away from binary divisions.
Curatorial team: Jagna Domżalska, Kamil Mizgala
June 25 – July 27, 2025
Fireplace Room (1st floor)
Opening: June 24, 2025, at 6 PM
Free admission
Open daily from 12:00 to 8:00 PM
Jan Baszak is a graduate of the Academy of Art in Szczecin (2019) and the University of the Arts in Poznań (2017). He lives and works in Berlin, where he creates works at the intersection of intimacy and melancholy. His sculptures are made from post-human materials and reclaimed textiles. In his practice, he explores the complex relationships between humans and non-human beings, the mysticism of interspecies eye contact, and proposes visions of communities founded on the principles of Halloween-style egalitarianism.
LETZTRAUM
12:00
/ Fringe events
CK ZAMEK
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
13:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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“The Monster’s Voice” is the work of internationally acclaimed director Agnieszka Smoczyńska (“The Silent Twins,” “Fugue,” “The Lure”), respected screenwriter Robert Bolesto (“The Last Family,” “A Heart of Love,” “Hardkor Disko,” “The Lure”), and outstanding contemporary music composer Alek Nowak (“I, Şeküre,” “A Fairy Tale About the Snake’s Heart”).
The production depicts the creation process of a contemporary art exhibition entitled “The Extermination of the Medusas.” The protagonist is the Curator, for whom the exhibits and accompanying events become a vehicle back to ancient times. The Curator identifies with Medusa and undertakes an inner journey through a tragic history. He experiences the cost of renouncing one’s own identity – a price Medusa pays to survive. He asks himself what meaning an exhibition holds in times when the slogan “Never Again” has lost its protective power, and cruelty toward strangers – the “new monsters” – explains playwright and librettist Robert Bolesto.
“The Monster’s Voice” is about a person who, under the threat of death, can never reveal the truth about themselves. They must hide or disguise themselves. Pretend to be someone else. Constantly observe everything and everyone, trust no one. Eventually, at the cost of their life, they become “nobody”. The truth about the titular character is revealed primarily through their voice – high and pure. For most of the time, it must remain suppressed, avoiding natural, upper registers. Only a few times, at moments of particular significance, does it resound fully. The harmony leans toward twelve-tone technique. The orchestration and instrumentation reflect a modernist retreat from Wagnerian monumentalism toward chamber music – adds composer Alek Nowak
We transpose a modern story into the world of myth to reach the roots of fear, hatred, and love, seeking in them timeless truths about humanity – explains the opera’s director, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, We aim to confront operatic form with realism. The staging refers to a documentary-style account of the creation of a museum exhibition about the extermination of the “other,” the “alien,” the “unknown” – by transforming them into a monster and then executing them. The emerging exhibits summon the ghosts of the past, which in turn trigger deeply encoded fears in the main character. The depicted reality slowly begins to warp – revealing primal images inscribed in the world’s history. We come to understand that the libretto’s core is the motif of annihilation and the loss of identity – relevant from the dawn of humanity to today.
The opera’s visual world was created by set designer Jagna Dobesz – recipient of the European Film Award and the Polish Film Award Eagle for “The Girl with the Needle” by Magnus von Horn – and lighting designer Aleksandr Prowaliński, who has recently collaborated with Krystian Lada, Ewelina Marciniak, and Jakub Skrzywanek. Costumes for the performance are designed by Katarzyna Lewińska, known for her work with Agnieszka Holland on “In Darkness” and “Spoor,” as well as “Afterimage” by Andrzej Wajda, “Body” by Małgorzata Szumowska, and the cult series “1670.” Choreography is by Tomasz Jan Wygoda, and the title role will be sung by countertenor Jan Jakub Monowid. This opera marks another collaboration for Smoczyńska, Bolesto, Wygoda, and Lewińska after their well-received work on “Simon Boccanegra.” Makeup is by Monika Kaleta, who worked with Smoczyńska on “Simon Boccanegra” and also created makeup for the films “Fugue” and “United States of Love,” as well as productions by Krzysztof Warlikowski.
The world premiere of “The Monster’s Voice “will take place on June 27 and 28 at Aula Artis in Poznań.
Following its world premiere in Poznań at Malta Festival, the production will be presented by the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk as part of the Baltic Opera Festival (12 July), and later this autumn it will be performed at the Eufonie Festival.
Produced by: Malta Festival, Kulczyk Foundation, Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, National Centre for Culture. Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the cultural programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025.
The performance is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special purpose fund – under the “Music” programme, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.
The Main Partner of the 35th Malta Festival premiere is Polenergia.
PJM translation on June 27, at 5:00 PM (the interpreter is on the right side of the stage)
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the event venue -> Aula Artis
THE MONSTER’S VOICE: AN OPERA INSPIRED BY EUROPA EUROPA BY SALLY PEREL AND AGNIESZKA HOLLAND
17:00
/ Theatre, Opera
Aula Artis
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Wiera Gran was one of the greatest Polish stars of the interwar period. She was a dancer, singer, and actress. Until the end of her life, she described herself as a Polish artist.
She performed all over the world, yet her life was far from the glamorous image of an international stage star.
Wiera Gran, born Grynberg, came from a poor Jewish family. During World War II, together with her mother and two sisters, she was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto. There, she performed at Cafe Sztuka – a café in the heart of the ghetto’s inferno. In August 1942, she managed to escape to the so-called Aryan side and survived the remainder of the war under a false identity – as “Doctor’s wife” Jezierska – in Babice, near Warsaw.
She survived.
Her story should have restarted then – but it did not.
After the war, she was accused of collaborating with the Gestapo. Although she was acquitted in several state court rulings, the rumors and slow poisoning of her life did not cease. In 1951, she was forced to leave Poland, and later successively left Israel, Venezuela, and the United States, eventually settling in Paris. Her life was marked by an ongoing struggle for dignity and truth, countless court cases, and resistance to a distorted version of history – for even as the years passed, she remained the target of persecution and unfounded accusations of collaboration.
This performance tells Wiera Gran’s story from her own perspective – through her songs, archival material, loves, and the recurring demons of memory.
The performance takes place on the Gallery Stage
Accessibility of the venue -> Polish Theatre in Poznań
WIERA GRAN
17:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Why is it so hard to set boundaries? Why do we feel guilty when we say no?
Join us for a workshop designed to help you understand these feelings – and to learn how to say “no” in a way that doesn’t damage relationships, but actually strengthens them.
Workshop topics include:
what boundaries and assertiveness really mean from a psychological perspective
the basic rights of assertiveness
the most common beliefs that block our ability to be assertive
how to say “no” – and how to receive criticism, praise, or differing opinions without fear or tension
This will be a practical, knowledge-filled session full of exercises and conversation – with tools you can actually use in your daily life.
Natasza Chmielowska-Mazurek – psychologist, psychotherapist, and mentor of CBT-based therapists. For over 13 years, she has provided individual and couples therapy. She is the founder of PRO Personal Development Studio in Poznań – a space where she and her team support people in improving their quality of life, finding balance, and rediscovering meaning. She works daily with people facing emotional, relational, and life crises, but her heart’s focus is on supporting women in their personal development journeys. She is also the creator of SELFLOVE workshops for women, both in-person and retreat-style, where she combines psychological knowledge with practical tools to help participants uncover and grow their inner strengths and unique potential.
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
BOUNDARIES AND ASSERTIVENESS – HOW TO SAY “NO” WITHOUT GUILT
17:30
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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Wiera Gran was one of the greatest Polish stars of the interwar period. She was a dancer, singer, and actress. Until the end of her life, she described herself as a Polish artist.
She performed all over the world, yet her life was far from the glamorous image of an international stage star.
Wiera Gran, born Grynberg, came from a poor Jewish family. During World War II, together with her mother and two sisters, she was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto. There, she performed at Cafe Sztuka – a café in the heart of the ghetto’s inferno. In August 1942, she managed to escape to the so-called Aryan side and survived the remainder of the war under a false identity – as “Doctor’s wife” Jezierska – in Babice, near Warsaw.
She survived.
Her story should have restarted then – but it did not.
After the war, she was accused of collaborating with the Gestapo. Although she was acquitted in several state court rulings, the rumors and slow poisoning of her life did not cease. In 1951, she was forced to leave Poland, and later successively left Israel, Venezuela, and the United States, eventually settling in Paris. Her life was marked by an ongoing struggle for dignity and truth, countless court cases, and resistance to a distorted version of history – for even as the years passed, she remained the target of persecution and unfounded accusations of collaboration.
This performance tells Wiera Gran’s story from her own perspective – through her songs, archival material, loves, and the recurring demons of memory.
The performance takes place on the Gallery Stage
Accessibility of the venue -> Polish Theatre in Poznań
WIERA GRAN
19:30
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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“Stories” is a dance performance balancing on the edge of reality and abstraction. The creators guide the audience through a labyrinth of inner and outer worlds, real and imagined. They raise questions about the definition of reality, returning to the theme of childhood play. Where does reality end and imagination begin? How do technology, emotions, and relationships intertwine to create new dimensions of existence? How does “technological loneliness” affect us?
“Stories” is a reflection on the return home – the place where our inner world meets the ever-changing outer world. It is a meditation on how intersecting worlds shape our identity and how we experience reality.
Ewelina Cieśla
Master of Arts from the Stanisław Wyspiański Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków, Dance Theatre Department in Bytom. She also studied at the Beijing Dance Academy in China (on scholarship) and at Codarts Rotterdam Dance Academy in the Netherlands (Erasmus+ scholarship). She holds a degree in Project Management from the Faculty of Organization and Management at the Silesian University of Technology.
She has performed in productions such as Ashes of a Dead Frog and Anamneza by Jacek Łumiński, the drama “Feblik” directed by Maciej Gorczyński, “Tryptyk powstańczy” by Jakub Lewandowski, the performance project bliżejchoreographed by Marta Bury, and “Flying Fish” by Ferenc Fehér. She also created the choreography “WIŁY” for the Lubuski Theatre in Zielona Góra.
Her recent achievements include:
Artistic Scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2025)
Residency at the Polish Dance Theatre – “Resident Dancer” program by NIMiT (2025)
Selection for the One Body One Career program (Anouk van Dijk) in Amsterdam (2024/2025)
Scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for students (2021/2022)
Participation in the Ballet Stage program (TVP Kultura, 2020)
Finalist and Wild Card winner (community vote) in the 2019 Young Dancer of the Year competition (TVP)
Scholarship for the CI Dance Festival Warsaw Flow 10 Performance Project
Rector’s Scholarship for Top Students (AST Kraków, 2018–2022)
She teaches contemporary dance at the Department of Dance of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. She runs regular Contact Improvisation workshops in Katowice, dance jams, and her original classes titled “Odpuść” and “Laboratorium ruchu”. She worked as an artist and teacher in projects realized under the Przestrzeń Sztuki Katowice program (2022/2023). She holds a certificate in Fascial Yoga Teaching from the Institute of Fascial Yoga (Wojciech Karczmarzyk).
Ewelina coordinated events such as the Devised Theatre / Dance Theatre Conference, Silesian Dance Day, and the Bright Future project (1st prize for significant social impact for the project Powiedz mi, kim będę). She developed a solo project as part of the EurAsia – Art Heritage Exchange program (Dance House Studio, Milan).
Katarzyna Niżnik
A graduate of the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD) in Austria and the PERA – School of Performing Arts (Girne American University) in Cyprus. She has participated in numerous dance programs and workshops, including GagaLab with Ohad Naharin and Batsheva dancers (Orsolina28), Summer Intensive (Portugal), IIDCompany Intensive (Netherlands), Cracow Dance Festival (Poland), and a workshop with Elio Gervasi (Italy). She trained under such artists as Rakesh Sukesh, Iñaki Azpillaga, and Vittoria De Ferrari.
She has performed in productions by Romeo Castellucci (“Tannhäuser”, Festspiele Salzburg), Olivier Dubois (SZENE Salzburg), Israel Aloni (ILDance), Boštjan Antončič (Rosas), Manuel Ronda, Elena Fokina, Livia Balážová, Zebastian Mendez Marin (Ultima Vez), and Nicolas Vladyslav (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui).
Selected choreographic works:
“My Migrations” (2021), Central Dance Stage, Warsaw
“Swimming Flesh in My Liquid Bones” (2023)
“Trapedy” (2024), Solo Dance Contest, Gdańsk
Selected achievements:
Artistic residency in the Netherlands in collaboration with Ivgi&Greben (2024), as part of a grant from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Participation in the European artistic project “Meeting Point” (2024)
Co-organizer of the international contemporary arts festival “Nomadic Roots”, Salzburg (2023)
Leader of the Erasmus+ project “Dance Art of Freedom” (2018)
Contemporary dance instructor at SEAD (2021–2023); she regularly conducts dance workshops in Poland
In 2022, completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training course (RYT), and in 2023 earned certification as a personal traine
Iga Szczepańska-Gieracha
A visual artist and performer working at the intersection of media arts. She studied both in Poland and abroad, taking part in creative workshops focused on sound, space, and the body. In 2022, she created the solo piece “Flow”, which was performed at festivals such as the 16th edition of the Mandala Performance Festival, Krakow Dance Festival, Do Festival, and GFT Dance Festival in Gdańsk, where she won second prize. She completed the Pera Short course at Pera School of Performing Arts – Girne American University.
Her video “Fighting with the Memories of You” was screened at the Multicultural Arts Festival 2023 and Juxtapose Performance Festival 2024. Her video “Blue Horizon” won the “CAM CAM – Dance for Camera 2024” competition organized by Movimento Danza (Italy). In 2025, her video “here ing” became part of the “Kitoki” video dance collection and premiered locally in Brussels through au Jus. She is currently a student at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań, majoring in Intermedia.
The project “Stories” is the result of the artists’ residency at the Polish Dance Theatre as part of the NIMiT “Dancer-in-Residence” program (edition 2024/2025).
The performance takes place in a large studio
Accessibility of the venue -> Polish Dance Theatre
STORIES
20:00
/ Theatre
Polish Dance Theatre
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Welcome to the LOCAL GIRLS STAGE – our festival DJ stage filled with sisterhood, electronic music, and shared passion!
For seven evenings, Festival Club will come alive with DJ sets by artists connected to the Local Girls Movement – participants and graduates of our DJ workshops dedicated to women and people with lived experience of womanhood. Joining them on stage will be artists active in Poznań’s vibrant electronic music scene. This is a space for debuts, experiments, and musical encounters that transcend generations and personal stories.
Local Girls Movement is a collective of dedicated women who invest their time and energy into empowering and educating women and individuals with experience of womanhood. Our main goal is to create a safe space where we can share knowledge and grow skills across various fields.
We organize free, open meetings for anyone interested, featuring invited experts such as gynecologists, sexologists, literary scholars, and professors. These sessions offer valuable insights and practical knowledge on topics that are often difficult or taboo to discuss in public.
We create a space for exchange, networking, and support.
We believe music is a tool for change and community-building.
Come by – to listen, dance, connect, and experience something new.
The stage is live every day from 8:00 PM. Free entry.
LOCAL GIRLS STAGE
20:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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On Friday evening, June 27, music will become the language of community as St. Mark’s Square at the Poznań International Fair transforms into the central stage for Europe’s artistic celebration. At 8:00 PM, “A Song for the Four Corners of the World” will begin – the largest of the concerts marking the finale of Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and one of the culminating events of Malta Festival, which runs through June 28.
Here in Poznań, four stories will be told – stories of what matters most today: solidarity, the balance between humanity and nature, the digital world, and the realm of spirituality, poetry, and memory. Four stages, four narratives, dozens of artists – from legendary voices to contemporary icons. Among the performers: Julia Pietrucha, Justyna Steczkowska, Krystyna Prońko, Maria Peszek, Natalia Przybysz, Mela Koteluk, Natalia Kukulska, Anna Maria Jopek, Kamil Bednarek, Janusz Radek, and Katarzyna Groniec. The evening will be hosted by Gabi Drzewiecka and Robert Stockinger, with a live national broadcast on Polish Television, bringing this celebration from Poznań into thousands of homes across the country.
This unique concert is part of the nationwide European Music Celebration – a multi-city event taking place simultaneously in Rzeszów, Kraków, Gdańsk, and Bydgoszcz. Five cities, eight stages, and hundreds of performers will create a shared, geographically dispersed but thematically united story of a modern, diverse, and connected Europe. Coordinated by the National Centre for Culture, the program stands as a symbolic culmination of Poland’s six-month presidency – open, polyphonic, and deeply rooted in local identities.
Before the first note of the evening concert is played, we invite you to an event of special significance: at 5:00 PM in Aula Artis, the world premiere of the opera “The Monster’s Voice” will take place. Co-produced by Malta Festival and the Kulczyk Foundation, this remarkable work by Alek Nowak, Robert Bolesto, and Agnieszka Smoczyńska is inspired by the novel by Sally Perel and the film “Europa Europa” by Agnieszka Holland. It explores identity, memory, and the monsters we carry within and project onto others. This contemporary opera, rooted in myth and politics, is a moving commentary on the world we live in today.
Let this ending also mark a symbolic beginning.
Let us come together to celebrate Europe – through sound, image, gesture, and thought.
A SONG FOR THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD – FINAL CONCERT OF POLAND’S EU PRESIDENCY
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20:00
/ Music, Concert, Fringe events
Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Film description: Sally Perel was born into a Jewish family in Saxony. As Nazi persecution intensified, he and his family fled to Poland in search of safety. After the German occupation began, his parents sent Sally and his brother further east. He ended up in an orphanage in Grodno, where he was deeply influenced by communist ideology and joined the Komsomol youth organization.
But Sally’s story took a sudden and dramatic turn. Captured by the Germans, he was—against all odds—mistaken for a pure Aryan. In order to survive, he concealed his true identity and played the role expected of him. Over time, he unwillingly became a Nazi war hero and an enthusiastic supporter of fascist ideals. Adopted by a Wehrmacht officer, he was eventually rewarded with admission to an elite Hitler Youth school.
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: EUROPA, EUROPA
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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HIT OUT is the agile and compact version of HIT, a choreographic and musical project in which rope skipping is used as a percussive element to manifest embodied rhythms.
After one year of athletic training supported by the Italian jumpers’ community and sponsored by MarcRope (Milan), Parini Secondo and Bienoise focus on the sound produced by rope skipping, dissecting its timbral possibilities. The jumpers on stage perform a rhythmic and at the same time choreographic score in which single-unders, side-swings and double-unders are both athletic and musical elements: combined with voice and synthetic sounds, they harmonize into a true HIT.
HIT elevates the intimate practice of training into a performative action: the hammering succession of rope strokes is an echo of rebellion against those forces that would have us lying motionless on the ground with our eyes closed.
There’s a reason why you came here
Every second getting far and far
Failure brings a new perspective
To renew the meaning of your past
High hopes and higher mind
To read a world that’s blind
There’s no reason baby I won’t lie
There’s no reason to give up the fight
Parini Secondo was born in 2017 from Sissj Bassani and Martina Piazzi with Camilla Neri and Francesca Pizzagalli. Questioning the relationship between art and originality, the group works on choreography to sublimate pop trends by being inspired by online material. They collaborate with musician, producer and teacher Alberto Ricca/bienoise, emphasizing the importance of the relationship between music, rhythm and dance.
After the iconic SPEEED (2020) and the international production be me (2021), Parini participates in NID Platform 2023 with do-around-the-world. In 2024 they released the new production HIT and HIT OUT, developed in between Italy, France, Norway and Taiwan and premiered in Bolzano Danza and Santarcangelo Festival. In 2025 comes INCANTO (working title), a new production for theatre venues, scheduled to debut in 2026
In 2024 Parini creates and curates the festival Tra questa gente esiste un sentimento (en: Among this people there is a feeling) within the program of Teatro Petrella (Longiano, IT), in collaboration with Cronopios and ATER Fondazione.
25.06, 20.30 – Old Market Square
26.06, 20.30 – Old Market Square
27.06, 17.00 – Liberty Square
Co-financed from the budget of the City of Poznań. #poznanwspiera
No language barriers
The event takes place in an open public space, with natural city sounds present
Venue accessibility: Plac Wolności (Freedom Square)
Venue accessibility: Stary Rynek (Old Market Square)
Venue accessibility: Stara Rzeźnia (Old Slaughterhouse)
HIT OUT
21:30
/ Theatre, Performance, Open-air
Poznań
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VIZRIL – techno on the edge of sound, emotion, and performance.
VIZRIL is a bby DJ in love with driving techno rhythms, broken experimental sounds, and a cheeky touch of kitsch. Coming from a theatre and film background, he approaches every set like a mini-performance — an emotional journey crafted through sound.
He treats the DJ deck as a performative space, a stage where he explores moods, tension, and energy flow. His sets blend pulsing tech house, hypnotic techno, and broken breakbeat structures with his own soundspace recordings — textures, voices, ambient fragments.
Sensual, raw, and unpredictable, VIZRIL’s sets are made for those who seek more than just the beat — for those who want to feel sound.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
VIZRIL – DJ SET
22:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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28.06/Saturday
The Kulczyk Foundation speaks out on issues that are important but often excluded from public discourse—simply because talking about them makes many people uncomfortable. Because menstruation remains a taboo topic, girls are often taught to be ashamed of it. If something is hidden, it may seem like it should be hidden. And yet, periods are a natural part of life—including school life. For some girls, lack of access to menstrual products sadly means missing out on education. Research by the Kulczyk Foundation shows that one in five schoolgirls in Poland has missed classes due to not having a sanitary pad.
This issue—along with the facts and myths surrounding menstruation—is the focus of an exhibition using photographs by the duo Magda Wunsche and Aga Samsel. It also presents selected data from the Kulczyk Foundation’s survey on how Polish people perceive menstruation, enriched with commentary and broader context that help distinguish facts from harmful misconceptions.
And you—how do you perceive menstruation?
Is it natural?
Period Taboo – exhibition at the Festival Club terrace
Dates: June 20–28
Location: Festival Office Terrace, Ratajczaka 44, Poznań
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
PERIOD TABOO – EXHIBITION
/ Other
Festival Club
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Join Twin Studio on the festival terrace for a yoga session that perfectly complements the music and artistic experiences around you. We’ve prepared two special classes set to the rhythm of festival hits — on June 21 and 28. Whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned yogi, these sessions are for you!
Bring your own mat and get ready for a dose of morning energy and good vibes — we start at 10:00 AM on the festival terrace.
Twin Studio is not just a place for practicing yoga — it’s a space where everyone is welcome to move freely and enjoy the moment.
No judgment, no pressure — in the eyes of the Twin team, you’re already just right. Classes are guided with openness, understanding, and full acceptance, making it easier to take that first step and try something new.
Wear whatever makes you feel good (leggings, joggers, your favorite tee), bring a bottle of water (hydration over desperation!), and join us for a moment that’s just for you.
Twin is where the spirit of the ‘80s meets a modern lifestyle, creating a chill oasis in the heart of Łazarz.
Instructor: Ada
A yoga teacher passionate about sharing her practice. Her favorite style is Ashtanga — the one that started her journey. Ada has been practicing for several years, and yoga has become her path to health and balance, which she now uses to support others.
She completed the RYT 200 course in Bali and numerous YACEP-certified trainings.
_____
The Festival Club is partnered with Santander Bank Polska.
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
Please also bring your own mats for added comfort.
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
JOGA FLOW AND MOVE
10:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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This concert-musical style performance is a deliberate act of cultural vandalism against Poland’s national epic – an attempt to reinterpret the poet’s masterpiece through the lens of Polish unruliness and social dysfunction. The story is transplanted into a world reminiscent of Polish council estates and “Trailer Park Boys,” where rap and slang become the natural forms of expression. The director examines his own local roots – Raszyn near Warsaw – in search of the foundations of a manic nationalism that continues to dominate the ideology of suburban and so-called “provincial” communities.
The creators draw striking parallels between the post-communist urban landscape and Mickiewicz’s provincial Lithuania. Contemporary street language merges and clashes with Polish alexandrines (thirteen-syllable verse), while the stage becomes a meeting point for archetypes of noble Sarmatian gentry and suburban street thugs.
The performance takes place in the Malarnia Stage
Accessibility of the venue -> Polish Theatre in Poznań
NEW PAN TADEUSZ, BUT MAKE IT RAP
12:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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What does independence mean to women today? A conversation across generations
Women’s independence has never been a given. Not long ago, it meant fighting for the most basic rights – the right to vote, to keep one’s own name, or to open a bank account. Today, it increasingly involves choosing a lifestyle, financial, mental, and social freedom – and the responsibility of taking care of oneself. The meaning of independence has evolved with each generation – and it continues to shift.
In this panel organized by Local Girls Movement as part of Malta Festival, three women from different generations will meet to reflect on what independence meant to them in the past, what it means today, and how it shows up in everyday life. From the right to make decisions about one’s own body, to financial autonomy, and the courage to say “no” – independence takes many forms and wears many faces.
The conversation will be moderated by a representative of Local Girls Movement. In an honest, intergenerational dialogue, we will explore how women have reclaimed agency – in work, relationships, families, and both public and private spaces. The discussion will touch on freedom that’s not always easy, and the strength that grows when we learn to speak in our own voice.
Moderator:
Heronika Harzyńska – professionally works in design, with experience gained in marketing agencies and the branding studio Blürbstudio. Privately, she develops communication and marketing strategies for clients, teaches design at university, and trains others in visual communication. She is also the founder of Santa Grafika – a platform for meetings, workshops, and training sessions.
Panelists:
Agnieszka Dzikońska – lawyer and member of the Greater Poland Bar Association since 2003. She specializes in civil and family law, particularly divorce and property division cases. Graduate of the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań and former law fellow at the Catholic University of Leuven. Co-founder of the Czas Kobiet Foundation.
Barbara Fiałkowska – formerly a lawyer and journalist, now an actress, trend researcher, and motivator.
Ania Mierzejewska – the first editor-in-chief of Polish Playboy, as well as a documentary filmmaker and journalist for Uwaga! TVN.
No registration is required to attend the workshops.
However, the number of spots is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early to secure your place.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
IN OUR OWN VOICE – ON BUILDING WOMEN’S INDEPENDENCE ACROSS GENERATIONS
12:00
/ Debate
Festival Club
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Your favorites – brass bands – are back on the streets of Poznań!
The legendary Malta Festival theme, composed by Jerzy Satanowski, has set the festival’s musical tone for years – with the sound of a trumpet resonating through the streets. As part of the festival’s 35th anniversary edition, brass bands from across Europe will once again surprise the residents of Poznań with spontaneous appearances in unexpected urban spaces – inviting everyone to join in the fun and dance across the city. The program features international ensembles: Bandakadabra, La Confizerie, and La Dinamo.
20-22.06: La Dinamo
A unique band on wheels, breaking the mould. La Dinamo delivers a high-energy mobile concert and a wild funk-fueled street party. It’s an interactive performance where the audience becomes part of the show – making every concert different and one of a kind.
This Catalan group blends street performance with live music. At Malta Festival, they will present their signature show Music on Cycles – a moving street concert, a funk experience for audiences of all kinds.
The project was born in 2014, when its creator Ander Condon set out to develop something original, combining Black music, street performance, and the bicycle as a means of transport.
By autumn 2016, Music on Cycles had taken on its final shape in terms of format, image, and repertoire, with performances at MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) and Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. Since then, the group has successfully performed at major music and street art festivals in Catalonia and across Spain, and gained international experience with shows in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and China.
23-25.06 La Confizerie
A subtle and refined brass band, to be savored with your ears!
La Confizerie is a 15-piece French brass band that boldly blends the flavors of disco, techno or latino to create a unique atmosphere.
Come and see this show displaying a touch of elegance and a healthy dose of madness. This sweet-sounding band will delight your ears and get the crowd dancing like never before!
26-28.06 Bandakadarba
Carlo Petrini, journalist and founder of the Slow Food movement, once called them an “urban brass band” – a fitting description for a group that has made the city its natural stage and the street not only a place to perform, but a source of inspiration.
Brass and percussion – that’s their language.
A powerful, marching-band energy that takes on any musical style with flair, delivering waves of vitality and joy.
Formed in Turin, Bandakadabra has built a dynamic live presence that has taken them across Europe and earned the growing attention of audiences far and wide.
From Paleo Festival to Suoni delle Dolomiti, through Jazz sous les pommiers, Premio Tenco, Festival della Mente and Musicultura – in just a few years they’ve played over 400 shows: from theatre and music festivals to street performances and private events, earning their reputation as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Start: Plac Wolności
Start time:
June 21-22: 1:00 PM
June 23: 3:00 PM
June 24–28: 1:00 PM
Non-verbal performance
The event takes place in an open public space; natural city sounds are present
The performance is partially mobile
Due to the absence of a fixed audience area, we are unable to specify all potential architectural barriers
MUSIC ON THE STREETS
13:00
/ Music, Open-air
Poznań
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Give new life to worn-out clothes – creatively, independently, and sustainably!
Instead of throwing away old garments, give them a second chance – turn them into something unique!
During Malta Festival, we invite you to our screen printing and patch-making station where you can refresh your clothes, cover up imperfections, or simply add character. All in the spirit of sustainable fashion and upcycling.
What can you bring?
We encourage you to bring old cotton garments – T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, trousers, pillowcases – anything that can be refreshed with a print or patch. Especially useful are items with:
stains that won’t wash out,
holes, tears, or worn-out areas,
faded fabric or discolored sleeves,
outdated or unwanted prints you’d like to cover,
a dull look you want to spice up.
How does it work?
Choose one of our original Malta-themed designs
Print it directly onto your garment or onto a piece of fabric to create a patch
Cut your patch to size using leftover fabric pieces provided on site
Use water-based inks – soft, long-lasting, and eco-friendly
Attach the finished patch to your item using thermal foil and an iron (available at the station)
No experience needed – our instructor Mika Starowska will guide you through the process
Patches won’t just decorate your clothes – they’ll also cleverly hide any imperfections. It’s a practical, fun, and environmentally friendly solution!
All patch fabrics are donated by our partner Dekoma, a company supporting sustainable resource use.
When and where?
📍 June 21–28, 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM
Festival Club (Klub Festiwalowy)
Venue accessibility -> Festival Club
SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOPS IN THE SPIRIT OF UPCYCLING
13:00
/ Workshops
Festival Club
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Following the success of „Melodrama”, Anna Smolar returns to the stage of the Powszechny Theatre – this time in co-production with Malta Festival. Once again, Anna Smolar takes on the paradoxes of our collective psyche and social order, using a well-known Polish film as her point of departure. This time, she reflects on Agnieszka Holland’s “A Woman Alone,” asking: what do care, solidarity, and loneliness mean today? She invites rapper and freestyle dancer Ryfa Ri – to join the project, marking her debut on the theatre stage.
Filmed in 1981, “A Woman Alone” tells the story of Irena, a single mother struggling to keep herself and her son Boguś afloat. In a supposedly socialist state, during the Solidarity carnival, a woman “without backing” is unable to make ends meet. She sinks into illusions, taking increasingly desperate steps. Today, the film evokes ambivalent feelings: it’s abrasive, “over the top,” shockingly outdated… or shockingly relevant?
Who would Irena be in 2025? Four decades after the political transformation, in an era of digital capitalism and privatization of public services, she is no longer “alone” but “a self-reliant” mother. Someone who has been taught that she can only blame herself.
In her consciousness flows an endless feed of well-meaning voices – ready to offer advice, a charity drive, coaching on time and money management. And, above all, constant concern for Boguś, who of course needs more than clothes and a roof – he needs space for emotional expression and personal growth. Because what would he say in therapy he will never afford?
Trapped in the merciless architecture of social expectations, caught in the exhausting choreography of survival, covered in the sticky glaze of charitable pity, Irena spirals into desperation, resentment, and powerless projections. Where might this lead her in a world that claims to celebrate “female strength” and demands revolutionary change?
And where is Boguś in all this?
______________
Anna Smolar (b. 1980, France) – Theatre director, dramaturge, and translator. A graduate of the Sorbonne University in Paris and the Sudden Theatre acting school.
She creates original theatre productions in close collaboration with her acting ensembles. Some of her notable collective works include “Henrietta Lacks, Thriller”, and “Erasmus/Erazm” at Nowy Teatr; “The Dybbuk” at Teatr Polski in Bydgoszcz; “The End of Eddy” at Teatr Studio; “Halka” and “Yoga” at the National Stary Theatre in Kraków; “Melodrama” at Teatr Powszechny; and “Orpheus” at TR Warszawa.
Her critically acclaimed productions also include “Cinderella” by Joël Pommerat at the National Stary Theatre in Kraków; “Jewish Actors” by Michał Buszewicz at the Jewish Theatre; “Cowboys” at the Osterwa Theatre in Lublin; “Slow Motion” and “Birds” at the National Theatre in Vilnius; “Hungry Ghosts” at the Kammerspiele in Munich; and “Antigone in Molenbeek” at Teatr Dramatyczny.
She received the Polityka Passport Award in 2016 in the Theatre category for “an intimate and empathetic theatre that tackles marginalized subjects with flair and humour; for consistently expanding the theatrical field and the willingness and skill to engage in dialogue with every audience.”
She is the author of the French translation of Grażyna Jagielska’s book “Love in Stone”.
From 2018 to 2021, she lectured in the fields of Theatre Pedagogy and Social Arts at the Institute of Polish Culture (IKP).
In 2022, she curated the “Tough Love” season at Komuna//Warszawa.
In the 2023/2024 season, she is the curator of the “Hosts” programme at TR Warszawa.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
Polish Sign Language (PJM) interpretation
Option to purchase an accessible ticket (OzN), which includes entry for a person with a disability and their companion
Accessibility of the venue – The Great Hall at CK Zamek
A WOMAN ALONE
17:00
/ Theatre
The Great Hall of the CK Zamek
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Wiera Gran was one of the greatest Polish stars of the interwar period. She was a dancer, singer, and actress. Until the end of her life, she described herself as a Polish artist.
She performed all over the world, yet her life was far from the glamorous image of an international stage star.
Wiera Gran, born Grynberg, came from a poor Jewish family. During World War II, together with her mother and two sisters, she was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto. There, she performed at Cafe Sztuka – a café in the heart of the ghetto’s inferno. In August 1942, she managed to escape to the so-called Aryan side and survived the remainder of the war under a false identity – as “Doctor’s wife” Jezierska – in Babice, near Warsaw.
She survived.
Her story should have restarted then – but it did not.
After the war, she was accused of collaborating with the Gestapo. Although she was acquitted in several state court rulings, the rumors and slow poisoning of her life did not cease. In 1951, she was forced to leave Poland, and later successively left Israel, Venezuela, and the United States, eventually settling in Paris. Her life was marked by an ongoing struggle for dignity and truth, countless court cases, and resistance to a distorted version of history – for even as the years passed, she remained the target of persecution and unfounded accusations of collaboration.
This performance tells Wiera Gran’s story from her own perspective – through her songs, archival material, loves, and the recurring demons of memory.
The performance takes place on the Gallery Stage
Accessibility of the venue -> Polish Theatre in Poznań
WIERA GRAN
17:30
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Agnieszka Holland will be the central figure of the second weekend of Malta Festival, which will take place from June 20 to 28 in Poznań. The jubilee 35th edition will feature the premieres of two stage productions inspired by her work. The first is the opera “The Monster’s Voice: An Opera Inspired by Europa Europa by Sally Perel and Agnieszka Holland,” created by Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Robert Bolesto, and Alek Nowak. The second is the play “A Woman Alone” directed by Anna Smolar. The premieres will be accompanied by a meeting with the directors.
The world premiere of “The Monster’s Voice “will take place on June 27 and 28 at Aula Artis in Poznań. More about opera: (link)
The premiere of the play, co-produced by Malta Festival and the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, will take place on June 14 in Warsaw, followed by a performance in Poznań on Saturday, June 28. That same day, Saturday, June 28, the festival will host a conversation with Agnieszka Holland, Anna Smolar, and Agnieszka Smoczyńska, moderated by Michał Merczyński, curator of projects related to the work of Agnieszka Holland.
MEETING WITH AGNIESZKA HOLLAND, ANNA SMOLAR AND AGNIESZKA SMOCZYŃSKA
19:30
/ Debate, Other
The Great Hall of the CK Zamek
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“The Monster’s Voice” is the work of internationally acclaimed director Agnieszka Smoczyńska (“The Silent Twins,” “Fugue,” “The Lure”), respected screenwriter Robert Bolesto (“The Last Family,” “A Heart of Love,” “Hardkor Disko,” “The Lure”), and outstanding contemporary music composer Alek Nowak (“I, Şeküre,” “A Fairy Tale About the Snake’s Heart”).
The production depicts the creation process of a contemporary art exhibition entitled “The Extermination of the Medusas.” The protagonist is the Curator, for whom the exhibits and accompanying events become a vehicle back to ancient times. The Curator identifies with Medusa and undertakes an inner journey through a tragic history. He experiences the cost of renouncing one’s own identity – a price Medusa pays to survive. He asks himself what meaning an exhibition holds in times when the slogan “Never Again” has lost its protective power, and cruelty toward strangers – the “new monsters” – explains playwright and librettist Robert Bolesto.
“The Monster’s Voice” is about a person who, under the threat of death, can never reveal the truth about themselves. They must hide or disguise themselves. Pretend to be someone else. Constantly observe everything and everyone, trust no one. Eventually, at the cost of their life, they become “nobody”. The truth about the titular character is revealed primarily through their voice – high and pure. For most of the time, it must remain suppressed, avoiding natural, upper registers. Only a few times, at moments of particular significance, does it resound fully. The harmony leans toward twelve-tone technique. The orchestration and instrumentation reflect a modernist retreat from Wagnerian monumentalism toward chamber music – adds composer Alek Nowak
We transpose a modern story into the world of myth to reach the roots of fear, hatred, and love, seeking in them timeless truths about humanity – explains the opera’s director, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, We aim to confront operatic form with realism. The staging refers to a documentary-style account of the creation of a museum exhibition about the extermination of the “other,” the “alien,” the “unknown” – by transforming them into a monster and then executing them. The emerging exhibits summon the ghosts of the past, which in turn trigger deeply encoded fears in the main character. The depicted reality slowly begins to warp – revealing primal images inscribed in the world’s history. We come to understand that the libretto’s core is the motif of annihilation and the loss of identity – relevant from the dawn of humanity to today.
The opera’s visual world was created by set designer Jagna Dobesz – recipient of the European Film Award and the Polish Film Award Eagle for “The Girl with the Needle” by Magnus von Horn – and lighting designer Aleksandr Prowaliński, who has recently collaborated with Krystian Lada, Ewelina Marciniak, and Jakub Skrzywanek. Costumes for the performance are designed by Katarzyna Lewińska, known for her work with Agnieszka Holland on “In Darkness” and “Spoor,” as well as “Afterimage” by Andrzej Wajda, “Body” by Małgorzata Szumowska, and the cult series “1670.” Choreography is by Tomasz Jan Wygoda, and the title role will be sung by countertenor Jan Jakub Monowid. This opera marks another collaboration for Smoczyńska, Bolesto, Wygoda, and Lewińska after their well-received work on “Simon Boccanegra.” Makeup is by Monika Kaleta, who worked with Smoczyńska on “Simon Boccanegra” and also created makeup for the films “Fugue” and “United States of Love,” as well as productions by Krzysztof Warlikowski.
The world premiere of “The Monster’s Voice “will take place on June 27 and 28 at Aula Artis in Poznań.
Following its world premiere in Poznań at Malta Festival, the production will be presented by the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk as part of the Baltic Opera Festival (12 July), and later this autumn it will be performed at the Eufonie Festival.
Produced by: Malta Festival, Kulczyk Foundation, Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, National Centre for Culture. Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the cultural programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025.
The performance is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special purpose fund – under the “Music” programme, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.
The Main Partner of the 35th Malta Festival premiere is Polenergia.
PJM translation on June 27, at 5:00 PM (the interpreter is on the right side of the stage)
Possibility to purchase an OzN ticket entitling you to enter the event with a companion
Availability of the event venue -> Aula Artis
THE MONSTER’S VOICE: AN OPERA INSPIRED BY EUROPA EUROPA BY SALLY PEREL AND AGNIESZKA HOLLAND
20:00
/ Theatre, Opera
Aula Artis
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“Stories” is a dance performance balancing on the edge of reality and abstraction. The creators guide the audience through a labyrinth of inner and outer worlds, real and imagined. They raise questions about the definition of reality, returning to the theme of childhood play. Where does reality end and imagination begin? How do technology, emotions, and relationships intertwine to create new dimensions of existence? How does “technological loneliness” affect us?
“Stories” is a reflection on the return home – the place where our inner world meets the ever-changing outer world. It is a meditation on how intersecting worlds shape our identity and how we experience reality.
Ewelina Cieśla
Master of Arts from the Stanisław Wyspiański Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków, Dance Theatre Department in Bytom. She also studied at the Beijing Dance Academy in China (on scholarship) and at Codarts Rotterdam Dance Academy in the Netherlands (Erasmus+ scholarship). She holds a degree in Project Management from the Faculty of Organization and Management at the Silesian University of Technology.
She has performed in productions such as Ashes of a Dead Frog and Anamneza by Jacek Łumiński, the drama “Feblik” directed by Maciej Gorczyński, “Tryptyk powstańczy” by Jakub Lewandowski, the performance project bliżejchoreographed by Marta Bury, and “Flying Fish” by Ferenc Fehér. She also created the choreography “WIŁY” for the Lubuski Theatre in Zielona Góra.
Her recent achievements include:
Artistic Scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2025)
Residency at the Polish Dance Theatre – “Resident Dancer” program by NIMiT (2025)
Selection for the One Body One Career program (Anouk van Dijk) in Amsterdam (2024/2025)
Scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for students (2021/2022)
Participation in the Ballet Stage program (TVP Kultura, 2020)
Finalist and Wild Card winner (community vote) in the 2019 Young Dancer of the Year competition (TVP)
Scholarship for the CI Dance Festival Warsaw Flow 10 Performance Project
Rector’s Scholarship for Top Students (AST Kraków, 2018–2022)
She teaches contemporary dance at the Department of Dance of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. She runs regular Contact Improvisation workshops in Katowice, dance jams, and her original classes titled “Odpuść” and “Laboratorium ruchu”. She worked as an artist and teacher in projects realized under the Przestrzeń Sztuki Katowice program (2022/2023). She holds a certificate in Fascial Yoga Teaching from the Institute of Fascial Yoga (Wojciech Karczmarzyk).
Ewelina coordinated events such as the Devised Theatre / Dance Theatre Conference, Silesian Dance Day, and the Bright Future project (1st prize for significant social impact for the project Powiedz mi, kim będę). She developed a solo project as part of the EurAsia – Art Heritage Exchange program (Dance House Studio, Milan).
Katarzyna Niżnik
A graduate of the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD) in Austria and the PERA – School of Performing Arts (Girne American University) in Cyprus. She has participated in numerous dance programs and workshops, including GagaLab with Ohad Naharin and Batsheva dancers (Orsolina28), Summer Intensive (Portugal), IIDCompany Intensive (Netherlands), Cracow Dance Festival (Poland), and a workshop with Elio Gervasi (Italy). She trained under such artists as Rakesh Sukesh, Iñaki Azpillaga, and Vittoria De Ferrari.
She has performed in productions by Romeo Castellucci (“Tannhäuser”, Festspiele Salzburg), Olivier Dubois (SZENE Salzburg), Israel Aloni (ILDance), Boštjan Antončič (Rosas), Manuel Ronda, Elena Fokina, Livia Balážová, Zebastian Mendez Marin (Ultima Vez), and Nicolas Vladyslav (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui).
Selected choreographic works:
“My Migrations” (2021), Central Dance Stage, Warsaw
“Swimming Flesh in My Liquid Bones” (2023)
“Trapedy” (2024), Solo Dance Contest, Gdańsk
Selected achievements:
Artistic residency in the Netherlands in collaboration with Ivgi&Greben (2024), as part of a grant from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Participation in the European artistic project “Meeting Point” (2024)
Co-organizer of the international contemporary arts festival “Nomadic Roots”, Salzburg (2023)
Leader of the Erasmus+ project “Dance Art of Freedom” (2018)
Contemporary dance instructor at SEAD (2021–2023); she regularly conducts dance workshops in Poland
In 2022, completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training course (RYT), and in 2023 earned certification as a personal traine
Iga Szczepańska-Gieracha
A visual artist and performer working at the intersection of media arts. She studied both in Poland and abroad, taking part in creative workshops focused on sound, space, and the body. In 2022, she created the solo piece “Flow”, which was performed at festivals such as the 16th edition of the Mandala Performance Festival, Krakow Dance Festival, Do Festival, and GFT Dance Festival in Gdańsk, where she won second prize. She completed the Pera Short course at Pera School of Performing Arts – Girne American University.
Her video “Fighting with the Memories of You” was screened at the Multicultural Arts Festival 2023 and Juxtapose Performance Festival 2024. Her video “Blue Horizon” won the “CAM CAM – Dance for Camera 2024” competition organized by Movimento Danza (Italy). In 2025, her video “here ing” became part of the “Kitoki” video dance collection and premiered locally in Brussels through au Jus. She is currently a student at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań, majoring in Intermedia.
The project “Stories” is the result of the artists’ residency at the Polish Dance Theatre as part of the NIMiT “Dancer-in-Residence” program (edition 2024/2025).
The performance takes place in a large studio
Accessibility of the venue -> Polish Dance Theatre
STORIES
20:00
/ Theatre
Polish Dance Theatre
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Following the sharp intuition of the original author, this performance explores social tensions and examines possible scenarios for the coming decades. The story moves into a near-future dystopia. The countries of the European Union have decided to deport all immigrants from the territory of the unified Europe. Persecutions erupt, crowded train stations evoke the darkest memories, and a climate of fear and distrust prevails.
As a form of protest, a certain well-off, intellectual, very liberal family from Poznań decides to go on strike and stop going to work. One day, they discover a migrant woman hiding in their basement. They decide to help her. But in order to save Elizavieta, they must not only teach her to speak Polish without an accent—they must turn her into a European, a Meta-Pole. A race against time begins, a desperate attempt to carve out a completely new identity.
The creators, remaining faithful to the structure of classical drama, reflect on the cyclical nature of history. They ask: are we trapped in an endless, repeating loop of events filled with generational traumas, national complexes, and xenophobic fears? Is it possible to break the cycle?
“Pygmalion” – the famous 1912 satire by George Bernard Shaw, which has seen 11 film adaptations, most notably the iconic 1964 American musical “My Fair Lady” – now appears on the stage of the Polish Theatre in Poznań. More than a hundred years after its premiere, “Pygmalion” continues to inspire new generations of artists who build original performances based on this classic play.
Following the sharp intuition of the original author, this production explores social tensions and considers potential scenarios for the coming decades. We are transported to a near, dystopian future. The countries of the European Union have decided to deport all immigrants from the territories of united Europe. Persecution follows, crowded train stations evoke the darkest memories, and an atmosphere of fear and mistrust prevails.
As an act of protest, an educated and highly liberal family from Poznań decides to go on strike and stop going to work. One day, they discover a migrant woman hiding in their basement. They decide to help her. But in order to save Elizavieta, it is not enough to teach her to speak Polish without an accent – they must also turn her into a European, a Meta-Polish woman. A race against time begins, along with an absurd, desperate attempt to carve out an entirely new identity.
The creators of the performance, remaining faithful to the structure of classical drama, reflect on the cyclical nature of history. They ask: Are we trapped in an endless, repeating loop of events, filled with generational traumas, national complexes, and xenophobic fears? Is it possible to break the cycle?
Though the performance speculates about the future, it is, in essence, a laboratory of the reality we already know. It closely observes the new sculpting processes in which we all participate – political, class-based, national, and cultural. Because questions such as: How can we live together in a new, diverse Poland? On what foundations and mythology do we build our statehood? And finally: Who has the right to call themselves Polish? – urgently need answers now.
The performance takes place on the Main Stage
The Main Stage is equipped with an induction loop
Accessibility of the venue -> Polish Theatre in Poznań
PYGMALION
20:00
/ Theatre
Polish Theater in Poznań
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Women’s Cinema. A film series centred around conversation and discussions with outstanding female creators of Polish cinema.
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Film description: The main character of this story – Helena (Katarzyna Butowtt) – has only ever had one lover in her life: her husband (Krzysztof Stelmaszyk). He has provided her with sexual fulfillment and financial stability. Together, they have three adult children. When she discovers his betrayal and a surprising opportunity in modeling emerges, Helena takes control of her life for the very first time. Everything she experiences now is new, unfamiliar, and thrilling. Does she want to cheat on him? Break free from his dominance? Or maybe she’s simply curious—craving the experience of another man the way some crave their first taste of a drug?
Malta Festival invites you to a unique film series, “Women’s Cinema,” featuring free screenings and discussions to be held from June 20 to 28 at the Old Market Square in Poznań. While the spotlight will be on excellent films, what will truly define the unique character of the event are in-depth, late-night conversations with acclaimed female (and male) Polish filmmakers. Among the invited guests are directors Kinga Dębska, Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Maria Zbąska, as well as actresses Maria Dębska, Dorota Kolak, and Marta Ojrzyńska. They will be joined by experts from SWPS University, who will enrich the presented films with new contexts and a multitude of meanings. This will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk in such a special place – not only about cinema.
“Women’s Cinema” marks a new chapter in the festival’s history, which in its refreshed format encourages dialogue. The programme reflects Malta Festival’s role as a platform for intellectual exchange. Each screening will conclude with a conversation featuring not only the filmmakers themselves but also special guests – SWPS University experts in psychology, cultural studies, and social practice. The discussions will be moderated by film journalist and commentator Anna Serdiukow, who encourages:
Each screening will turn into a polyphonic exchange of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together, we’ll reflect on what resonates most in these stories – and why.
This year, it is films – especially films created by women – that have become the starting point for important conversations: about intimacy and violence, coming-of-age and loneliness, addiction, social class, sexuality, and exclusion.
The meetings will take place in a cozy, home-like atmosphere, with comfort provided by VOX – a Polish interior design brand long associated with Malta Festival and committed to cultural activities.
All films will be screened with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to international audiences.
Screenings will take place at 9:00 PM in the Quadro Passage at the Old Market Square. Immediately following each screening, the organizers invite audiences to join the discussions with the directors of the featured films.
Free admission passes can be collected starting from the day before each screening and on the day of the screening itself. Each person may collect a maximum of two passes per evening.
June 20 (Friday) – “Imago,” dir. Olga Chajdas
Guests: Olga Chajdas (director), Justyna Wasilewska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 21 (Saturday) – “This Is Not My Film,” dir. Maria Zbąska
Guests: Maria Zbąska (director), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (cinematographer), Dr. Aleksandra Plata – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 22 (Sunday) – “Other People,” dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
Guests: Aleksandra Terpińska (director), Marta Ojrzyńska (actress), Dr. Anna Kubiak – psychologist, SWPS University
June 23 (Monday) – “The Lure,” dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Guests: Agnieszka Smoczyńska (director), Robert Bolesto (screenwriter), Marta Mazurek (actress), Dr. Agnieszka Trawicka – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 24 (Tuesday) – “Playing Hard,” dir. Kinga Dębska
Guests: Kinga Dębska (director), Dorota Kolak (actress), Julia Bączek – psychologist, psychotherapist, SWPS University Clinic
June 25 (Wednesday) – “Autumn Girl,” dir. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
Guests: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (director), Maria Dębska (actress), Katarzyna Kierzek – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University Clinic
June 26 (Thursday) – “A Woman Alone,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
Guests: Agnieszka Holland (director)
June 27 (Friday) – “Europa Europa,” dir. Agnieszka Holland
No post-screening discussion
June 28 (Saturday) – “Salt Lake,” dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec
Guests: Katarzyna Rosłaniec (director), Katarzyna Butowtt (actress), Dr. Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer – psychologist, sexologist, SWPS University
Venue accessibility -> Old Market Square
WOMEN’S CINEMA: SALT LAKE
21:00
/ Open-air, Movie
Quadro Passage on the Old Market Square
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As part of Malta Festival, we invite you to a special silent disco – a musical prelude in headphones ahead of BitterSweet Festival 2025. It’s the perfect chance to catch the vibe of the event coming to Poznań’s Cytadela on August 14–16.
BitterSweet isn’t just about big names like Post Malone, Nelly Furtado, Taco Hemingway, Empire of the Sun, Peggy Gou, or Bedoes. It’s a brand new urban festival format – with a mission, a unique mood, and space for every emotion. From joy to nostalgia. From sunrise to nightfall.
Put on your headphones, dive into the music, and dance with us in the heart of the city. Discover why BitterSweet is more than just music.
More about the venue’s accessibility -> Festival Club
SILENT DISCO x BITTERSWEET
22:00
/ Music
Festival Club
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