CiakPolska Film Festival

A festival telling Poland's story through film

The CiakPolska Film Festival is Italy's premier showcase for Polish cinematography. Established in 2013 and organized by the Polish Institute in Rome, the event has steadily grown into one of the most anticipated cultural highlights of the Roman autumn, attracting both arthouse cinema enthusiasts and the large Polish community living in Rome and the wider Lazio region.

The well-established format alternates between rediscovering the great masters of the 20th century and presenting the latest works, many of which arrive in the capital after premiering at festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, or Locarno. The result is a multifaceted portrait of contemporary Poland and its historical memory, captured through a lens that balances realism with poetry, and documentation with experimentation.

Two venues, two spirits

The festival takes place in two iconic locations of Roman cultural life:

• Palazzo Esposizioni Roma (Via Nazionale 194) hosts the Great Classics of Polish Cinema series, featuring DCP restored copies of masterpieces from the Polish school, screened in their original language with Italian subtitles.
• The Casa del Cinema, located in the green heart of Villa Borghese, hosts the New Polish Cinema section, dedicated to the latest productions, documentaries, and works by emerging generations of filmmakers.

Both venues are easily accessible and located just a short distance from each other, allowing dedicated viewers to follow the entire program.

Retrospectives, tributes, and meetings

Each edition centers around a guest of honor or a monographic tribute. The festival has dedicated significant space to Oscar-nominated director Agnieszka Holland and celebrated the centenary of Wojciech Jerzy Has (1925-2000) with the new, fully restored version of his masterpiece The Saragossa Manuscript. Alongside screenings, the festival features meetings with directors, discussions with critics and scholars, and collaborations with programs like Fuori Orario on Rai Cultura, which extends the tribute to television audiences.

An initiative of cultural diplomacy

CiakPolska was born from a network of institutional collaborations involving the Polish Institute in Rome, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the WFDiF studios in Warsaw, the Rome Capital Department of Culture, and Azienda Speciale Palaexpo. It is a successful example of cultural diplomacy: not just a film series, but a stable bridge between two cinematic traditions that have frequently crossed paths throughout the 20th century, from Italian-Polish co-productions to a shared passion for auteur cinema.

Why it's worth attending

• Free admission to all screenings, subject to availability.
• Films in original language with Italian subtitles, many of which are premieres in Italy.
• Directors and international guests in attendance for public debates.
• Two prestigious venues in the historic center of Rome, both well-served by public transport.

For those living in or visiting Rome in November, CiakPolska offers a rare opportunity: ten days to explore seventy years of Polish cinema for free, with high-quality projection standards at two of the city's leading cultural venues.