What remains of the stories we try to leave behind? How do you find your own voice after years of living up to other people’s expectations? And why do some conversations begin only after the credits roll? 

From 22 to 28 June, we invite you to Park Starego Browaru for Women’s Cinema – seven evenings of films and conversations that stay with you long after the screening ends. This year, you will meet characters trying to reclaim control over their lives, confront family secrets, break free from the past, or simply find a place where they can be themselves. These are stories about friendship, intimacy, violence, responsibility, memory, and relationships that can both sustain us and put us to the test.

The programme opens with La petite mort by Martyna Byczkowska and Kaja Zalewska – their feature directorial debut, balancing between documentary, theatre and cinema. It will be followed by Łukasz Grzegorzek’s My Wonderful Life, starring Agata Buzek as a woman who begins to wonder whether the life she is living is truly her own. In the days that follow, you will see Brother by Maciej Sobieszczański – a story of a family trying to survive in a world marked by violence and growing chaos; Beautiful! by Katia Priwieziencew, where women at different stages of life confront love, ambition and the passing of time; and a special pre-premiere screening of Nice Women by Maria Wojtyszko and Jakub Krofta – a story about discovering strength exactly when it is needed most. The programme concludes with two films that approach relationships from different perspectives. Wojciech Smarzowski’s Good Home looks behind the façade of a seemingly happy life, while Tola Jasionowska’s Clarinet follows a young woman uncovering family secrets, memories and stories that refuse to disappear.

After every screening, we invite you to stay for conversations with the filmmakers and actors behind the films. The discussions will be hosted by film journalist and critic Anna Serdiukow. Guests will include Agata Buzek, Agnieszka Grochowska, Katarzyna Herman, Marta Nieradkiewicz, Anita Sokołowska, Weronika Humaj, Wojciech Smarzowski, Martyna Byczkowska, Kaja Zalewska, Maria Wojtyszko and Tola Jasionowska, among others.

The conversations will take place in a welcoming atmosphere created with the support of VOX – a Polish home furnishings brand that has been associated with Malta Festival for many years and is actively involved in cultural initiatives. All screenings will take place at 9:30PM in Park Stary Browar. Admission is free and no tickets are required. There will be 300 deckchairs available for the audience, but you are also welcome to bring your own blanket and enjoy the films under the open sky.

Because sometimes a film ends after ninety minutes. And sometimes that is exactly when the most interesting part of the evening begins.

Women’s Cinema Programme:

22 June (Monday) – “La petite mort”, directed by Martyna Byczkowska and Kaja Zalewska
Guests: Martyna Byczkowska (director, actor), Kaja Zalewska (director, actor), Dominik Rubaj (actor)

23 June (Tuesday) – “My Wonderful Life”, directed by Łukasz Grzegorzek
Guests: Agata Buzek (actor), Natalia Grzegorzek (producer)

24 June (Wednesday) – “Brother”, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański
Guests: Agnieszka Grochowska (actor), Maciej Sobieszczański (director)

25 June (Thursday) – “Beautiful!”, directed by Katia Priwieziencew
Guests: Marta Nieradkiewicz (actor), Katarzyna Herman (actor), Katia Priwieziencew (director)

26 June (Friday) – “Nice Women”, directed by Maria Wojtyszko and Jakub Krofta
Guests: Anita Sokołowska (actor), Maria Wojtyszko (director), Jakub Krofta (director)

27 June (Saturday) – “Good Home”, directed by Wojciech Smarzowski
Guests: Wojciech Smarzowski (director), Joanna Gryza-Iskandar (Feminoteka Foundation)

28 June (Sunday) – “Clarinet”, directed by Tola Jasionowska
Guests: Weronika Humaj (actor), Tola Jasionowska (director)

Park Stary Browar
9:30 PM
Free admission