Łukasz Adamski - Festival MC: Introducing films and moderating Q&A sessions at APFF 2026

Łukasz Adamski, film critic, columnist, journalist. Artistic director of Freedom Film Festival and Kameralne Lato. He won the Polish Film Institute award for the best film critic of the year.  Since 2005 he has published in various magazines, journals and websites. He regularly publishes in magazine Rzeczpospolita and on Interia.pl. He was the host of movie magazines in TVP Culture. He was/ is also a host of several radio shows  (RDC, Polish Radio 24, Polish Radio Olsztyn) and he is a co-host of a movie show “Się Zobaczy” on YouTube.  He interviewed a lot of acclaimed polish and Hollywood (including Oscar winners) filmmakers. 

Esther Wojcicki - In attendance on Saturday, Nov. 7

Wilhelm Sasnal - In attendance on Saturday, Nov. 7

Stefan Tompson - In attendance on Sunday, Nov. 8

Stefan Tompson is a London-born Polish-South African PR consultant, content creator, the host of “Polish Heritage” on TVP Historia, and a documentary filmmaker (In Search of A Homeland, They Built Our Happiness, Covenant of Blood).

“Polish Heritage, which ran for three seasons and spanned 32 episodes, covered Polish history, architecture, culture and art in the “Kresy”. The episodes were filmed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Germany.

Tompson is also the founder of Visegrad24, one of Europe’s most influential new media companies, which generates roughly 800 million monthly impressions across social media. V24 is a conservative leaning news aggregator that covers topics including mass migration to Europe, anti-communist freedom movements, the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, and the full scale Russian-invasion of Ukraine.

Marek Drewnowski - Performing on Sunday, Nov. 15

Marek Drewnowski is one of Poland's most distinguished pianists. He gained international recognition when Leonard Bernstein invited him to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra after hearing his recording of Domenico Scarlatti's piano sonatas. He later appeared with Bernstein again during the internationally televised concert marking the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.

Since then, Marek Drewnowski has performed in many of the world's leading concert halls across Europe, the United States, and Japan. His extensive discography includes acclaimed recordings of works by Chopin, Scarlatti, Weber, Tansman, and Szymanowski, and he has devoted many years to recording the complete piano works of Fryderyk Chopin.

A celebrated educator, conductor, and cultural leader, he is the founder and president of the Joseph Hofmann Foundation, founder of the Chopin Soloists Orchestra, and director of the J. Hofmann and I.J. Paderewski Festivals. He has taught at leading music institutions in Poland and abroad and currently serves as Professor at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory in Turkey.

His artistic achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Orpheus Award, Chopin's Passport Award, the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, and the Grand Prix du Disque Frédéric Chopin. 

Michał Drewnowski - Performing on Sunday, Nov. 15

Born in 1977 into a lineage of accomplished musicians in Warsaw, Michał Drewnowski's musical journey began at the age of eight in Italy, where he resided with his family. The young prodigy honed his piano skills under the expert guidance of his father, Marek Drewnowski.

In 1991, Michal commenced formal musical education at the esteemed Karol Szymanowski Music School in Warsaw, studying under the tutelage of Bronislawa Kawalla and Ewa Poblocka. He graduated with the highest honors from the University of Music in Lodz, further refining his craft at the Conservatory of Music in Geneva, guided by eminent professors Dominique Merlet and Pascal Devoyon. In 2006, he achieved his Master's Degree with distinction.

Drewnowski's musical odyssey has been enriched by immersion in piano masterclasses led by luminaries like Naum Shtarkman, Fou T'Song, Rudolf Kehrer, and Eugen Indjic.

In 2014, he earned his doctorate, presenting a thesis on the previously unknown Polish composer, Tadeusz Majerski, whose piano compositions he uncovered and recorded for the English label Toccata Classics.

The award-winning pianist has garnered numerous accolades at prestigious piano competitions:

  • Special Prize at the Tansman International Individual Musical Competition in Lodz (1996)

  • 1st Prize at the XIII Bacewicz Chamber Music Competition in Lodz (1998)

  • 1st Prize at the XXXII Polish Pianists Festival in Slupsk (1998)

  • 2nd Prize at the Mascia Masin International Piano Competition in San Gemini, Italy (2000)

  • 2nd Prize at the A.GI.MUS. Piano Competition in Rome (2005)

Michał Drewnowski has graced audiences worldwide with his solo and chamber performances, captivating listeners in Poland, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria, England, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and the USA.

He has shared the stage with distinguished orchestras including the Polish Radio Orchestra, Chopin Philharmonic Orchestra, Shumen Sinfonietta, Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, collaborating with esteemed conductors such as Massimiliano Caldi, Emil Tabakov, Emilian Madey, Tadeusz Kozlowski, Monika Wolińska, Stanislav Oushev, and Ruben Silva, among others. Drewnowski's enthralling performances have graced renowned festivals worldwide, including the Passage Warsaw, Salon of the Arts in Sofia, Festival Musicale di Norcia (Italy), Varna Summer Festival (Bulgaria), Cracow Music Spring, Warsaw Music Encounters, Chopin Festival in Geneva, Keminklavier in Kemi (Finland), Bolzano Piano Festival (Italy), and Chopin au Jardin in Paris. His music has resonated in prestigious venues like Bulgaria Hall in Sofia, Gianicolo in Rome, Steinway Kammersal in Copenhagen, Wigmore Hall in London, Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona,Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Carnegie Hall