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

American journalist and educator who taught at Palo Alto High School for more than three decades, building one of the best-known high-school media programs in the United States. She is the author of “How to Raise Successful People” and an advocate of parenting and teaching built on trust, respect and independence.

Łukasz Bernaś - In attendance on Saturday, Nov. 7

Documentary director and cinematographer, co-author of the film “Mistrz” and co-director of “The Godmother of Silicon Valley”. Nominated for the Grand Press 2025 award and, together with This Is IT, a winner of the Grand Video Awards.

Dr. Maciej Kawecki - In attendance on Saturday, Nov. 7

Doctor of law, science communicator and creator of the This Is IT platform, where he has interviewed leading scientists including Nobel laureates. Nominated for the Grand Press 2025 award and, together with This Is IT, a winner of the Grand Video Awards.

Piotr Trojan - In attendance on Saturday, Nov. 7

Piotr Trojan is an award-winning Polish actor, screenwriter and director, acclaimed for his versatility and emotional depth. A graduate of the Łódź Film School, he also studied directing at the Wajda School in Warsaw. He gained widespread recognition for his breakthrough leading role in 25 Years of Innocence: The Case of Tomek Komenda (2020), earning the Polish Film Award (Eagle) for Best Actor and the Best Actor Award at the Gdynia Film Festival.
His acclaimed performance in Johnny (2022), portraying Patryk Galewski, brought him another Best Actor Award at Gdynia and an Eagle nomination. His film credits include All Our Fears, Operation Hyacinth and Alpha Male. He also wrote, directed and starred in the award-winning short film Synthol. Trojan has appeared in popular television series including The King of Warsaw, The Mire, Signs, The Trap, The Thaw and Emigration XD.

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.

Agnieszka Będkowska - In attendance on Sunday, Nov. 8

Agnieszka Będkowska is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration and the Faculty of Film and Television Production Management at the University of Silesia. She also completed postgraduate management studies at the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw, specializing in management for artists, creative professionals and cultural practitioners.

She has been professionally associated with the Documentary and Feature Film Studio (WFDiF) for 25 years, gaining extensive experience and an in-depth understanding of the specific nature and challenges of this multifaceted institution. As Head of Film Production and Educational Projects, she initiated the development of a new area of activity: film education. This initiative led to the creation of, among other projects, the interactive exhibition Film Set (Plan Filmowy) and a series of educational film workshops and events.

As Deputy Director of WFDiF, alongside overseeing film production, she focused on promoting film culture through special projects with national and international reach, including Grandi Classici del Cinema Polacco.

Magdalena Nowak-Gniadek - In attendance on Sunday, Nov. 8

Magdalena Nowak-Gniadek has been working in the film industry for 20 years, with experience spanning film distribution, promotion, film outreach, and education. From 2017, she served as Head of Licensing at the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute (FINA), collaborating with film festivals, film schools, and film educators across Poland. She joined the Documentary and Feature Film Studio (WFDiF) in 2022 and currently serves as Head of the Department of Education, Special Projects and Festivals. At WFDiF, she coordinated the celebrations marking the Year of Wojciech Jerzy Has in 2025 and coordinates the Year of Andrzej Wajda in 2026, overseeing projects that promote the legacy and work of these two distinguished Polish filmmakers.

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

Michał Drewnowski is an internationally acclaimed Polish concert pianist, educator, and artistic director. A graduate of the University of Music in Łódź and the Conservatory of Music in Geneva, he has performed throughout Europe and the United States, appearing in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Palau de la Música Catalana. Michal Drewnowski

A passionate advocate of Polish music, he has championed the works of both renowned and lesser-known Polish composers and has premiered numerous contemporary compositions. Since the 2024/2025 academic year, he has served on the piano faculty of the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. Michal Drewnowski

For the Austin Polish Film Festival Closing Concert, Michał Drewnowski will perform works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Alexandre Tansman, and Józef Hofmann, and will lead a conversation with his father, Marek Drewnowski, about his extraordinary artistic collaboration with Leonard Bernstein.