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REBELS

The purpose of the REBELS section is to give a voice to those who dare dance to a different beat, either out of their own volition or because they are forced to. All the protagonists of either sex that you will see in the films included in this section do not fit within the imposed patterns, refuse to be silent, and do not blend well into any structure: be it social, cultural, or emotional one. Their rebellion can sometimes be expressed with screaming, and sometimes with total silence. Their rebellion is an act of courage, a survival instinct, and a form of protest, but also a path to freedom, intimacy, and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

This year’s selection contains both documentaries and feature films dedicated to women who have their own voice (‘Wanda Rutkiewicz. The Last Expedition,’ ‘Just Hear Me Out’), to people struggling with invisibility and social exclusion (‘Kompleta,’ ‘Submarine’), to individuals who try to preserve memories and meaning (‘Silent Trees’), or to those who dare confront the forces of nature and culture (‘When Harmattan Blows’).

This kind of cinema offers no easy punchlines or predefined theories. These films try to analyse what happens what we refuse to accept violence, exclusion, or obscurity.

Artur Zaborski
Head of Programme for the REBELS section

Submarine is a bold documentary film made by a student of Warsaw Film School, in which you see a struggle with postpartum depression. This heart-breaking film is not only a portrayal of a motherhood in crisis, but also serves as a testimony to the inefficient mental healthcare system.

Kompleta, a film directed by the directing duo behind ‘Our Curse,’ is a video blog of sorts, which delivers an intimate and highly emotional record of the recovery process of the main protagonist who was diagnosed with cancer in the eighth month of pregnancy.

Silent Trees is an emotional documentary which portrays the situation on the border between Poland and Belarus. Having lost her mother, teenage Runa ends up in a refugee camp, together with her father and siblings. They fell welcome there, but with each passing day their fear of deportation does not go away.

Gosia, the main protagonist in the film Just Hear Me Out, has a history of long depressive episodes and numerous stays in mental institutions. And she does not intend to give up on herself, despite being fully aware that the illness she suffers from can never see any remission.

When Harmattan Blows builds a film bridge between Poland and Ghana. When she was eight years old, the main protagonist Barbara met the same fate as thousands of other children from Ghana, whose parents sold them off as slave labour. One day, the woman decides to ask her parents the questions that have pestered her entire adult life.

The director of the film Wanda Rutkiewicz. The Last Expedition is herself a mountaineer. In an effort to get to know the real life of Wanda Rutkiewicz, she follows in her footsteps in the Himalayas. One of the theories surrounding Wanda is that the woman actually still lives, but chose the life of a recluse in a Buddhist temple. The film features guest appearances of Reinhold Messner, Krzysztof Wielicki, Carlos Carsolio, as well as the sister and the manager of Wanda Rutkiewicz.

Artur Zaborski - born in 1987. He is a cultural journalist with publications in Polish, American, Canadian, and Swedish media. He studied film and literary criticism at the Jagiellonian University. He used to work in the Film section of the Onet.pl portal, and as the chief editor of the Stopklatka.pl portal. He is currently the vice-president of and a lecturer at Warsaw Film School. He also works as the artistic director for the Script Fiesta festival, the programme director of the Summer Film Academy in Zwierzyniec, and the programmer of the Rebels section for the BellaTOFIFEST International Film Festival. During the last decade of his professional career, he has conducted interviews with the most prominent cinema artists, including such luminous names as Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Penelope Cruz, Mel Gibson, or Winona Ryder. In 2017, he was nominated for the Polish Film Institute Award in the film criticism category. He received the award in 2023. He was a two time winner of the Scholarship Program organised by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. In 2022, he was granted the scholarship of the Sundance Institute awarded to journalists specialising in minorities.

Included in the section:

  1. Submarine, dir. by Oliwia Zakrzewska, Poland, 2024, 17’
  2. Kompleta, dir. by Magdalena Hueckel, Tomasz Śliwiński, Poland, 2025, 66’
  3. Silent Trees, dir. by Agnieszka Zwiefka, Poland, 2024, 85’
  4. Just Hear Me Out, dir. by Małgorzata Imielska, Poland, 2024, 76’
  5. When Harmattan Blows, dir. by Edyta Wróblewska, Poland, 2024, 80’
  6. Wanda Rutkiewicz. The Last Expedition, dir. by Eliza Kubarska, Poland, Switzerland, Nepal, India, Italy, Austria 2024, 80’

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