Polish Film Festival VISTULA

The organiser of the Polish Film Festival VISTULA is WSPIERAM FOUNDATION. This project spreads the Polish culture in the world reaching the Polish people living abroad as well as the citizens of our neighbouring countries and the more distant ones. VISTULA Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in the world; it promotes the Polish culture in 12 countries (in over 40 cities) during 10 months of each year. The strategic goal of the project is to promote the knowledge on the achievements in cinematography and its role in the contemporary culture along with popularising the ambitious, non-commercial film repertoire. VISTULA is a flagship of Polish culture, creating the image of the Republic of Poland as a modern country open for the cross-cultural dialogue.

VISTULA Festival began its cinematographic journey in Russia in 2008. We presented Polish films in Moscow, Barnaul, Kaliningrad, Svetlogorsk, Tver, Rostov-on-Don, Veliky Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Monchegorsk, Norilsk, Kayerkan, Dudinka, Chernyakhovsk and Zelenogradsk among others. The Polish Film Festival VISTULA won the hearts not only of the Russian audience but it is becoming more and more popular in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Croatia, Serbia and Belarus. In 2019 we decided to gain viewers also in Georgia, Iceland and Chile.

Most of the movies are shown in all the cities as a premiere, and for many viewers, the festival screenings are the only chance to see important Polish productions on the big screen. During 11 years we presented to the audience over 900 films – the most interesting features, documentaries, animations, family movies and the debuts of the students of the Polish film schools. The screenings are accompanied by many cultural events like exhibitions, concerts, workshops, lectures, theatre shows. Every year at the festival we welcome many artists like Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Wajda, Andrzej Seweryn, Jerzy Stuhr, Marek Koterski, Marcin Wrona, Wojciech Smarzowski, Paweł Łoziński, Maciej Stuhr, Dorota Kędzierzawska, Janusz Gajos, Stanisław Mikulski, Marian Dziędziel, Robert Więckiewicz.

This project has many years of tradition, good relations and cooperation with the film industry, media and cultural institutions, as well as with the diplomatic missions in the world. The prestige of VISTULA Festival is emphasized by many honorary patronages.

The international project VISTULA presents to the people of different cultures the prominent Polish films which paint a vibrant picture of our country and its people. VISTULA brings the nations together through the silver screen which is a platform for cultural and universal understanding.

WSPIERAM FOUNDATION is the organiser of VISTULA’s sister project, the Russian Film Festival SPUTNIK OVER POLAND.