This year’s festival theme centers on Alaska, but until Monday, viewers can journey across the United States through 116 films, including 105 feature films and 11 shorts, with 51 making their Polish premieres.
The festival’s total runtime reaches an impressive 24,021 minutes.
Brady Corbet's award-winning epic The Brutalist opened the festival on Tuesday, while Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life will close it on November 11.
Special guest: Jesse Eisenberg
This year’s special guest is actor and director Jesse Eisenberg, who brought his film When You Finish Saving the World to the festival.
Eisenberg, who directed and stars in the film, attended Wednesday's screening, where he received the Indie Star Award in recognition of his creative contributions to cinema.
With the United States deeply engaged in its presidential elections, the festival also pays homage to American political cinema.
Audiences can look forward to classic political films, including Elia Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd (1957), Sidney Lumet’s Network (1976), and Barry Levinson’s Wag the Dog (1997), as well as special political debates organized throughout the festival.
Retrospectives and American classics
The festival’s lineup also includes retrospectives of Robert Altman, renowned for both high-budget and independent projects, and Dorothy Arzner, a trailblazer from Hollywood’s Golden Era whose works are celebrated for their feminist themes and compelling female characters.
In addition, the event showcases classic American Westerns, focusing on narratives with strong, independent women instead of the typical male leads.
Highlights include The Furies (1950), featuring Barbara Stanwyck, and The Misfits (1961), Marilyn Monroe’s final film role.
Running through November 11, the festival offers an immersive experience into the richness and diversity of American film, celebrating cinema with a uniquely American perspective.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, AFF