Press Releases:

Produced by Austin Polish Society

The 21st Austin Polish Film Festival

November 5 – 8 and 15, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Austin Polish Film Festival Brings Award-Winning Films, Filmmakers and Music to Austin

21st edition | November 5–8 and 15, 2026

AUSTIN, Texas — The 21st Austin Polish Film Festival will bring recent Polish cinema, visiting filmmakers, poster art and music to Austin on November 5–8 and 15. Film screenings and the Andrzej Wajda poster exhibition take place at Austin Film Society’s AFS Cinema, 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd. A family event and a closing concert at separate venues on November 15 complete the program, which celebrates ties between Poland and the United States in America’s 250th anniversary year.

Opening night begins Thursday, November 5, at 6:30 p.m. with the Wajda poster exhibition; a 7:30 p.m. screening of his classic The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana) follows. Friday’s gala starts at 6:30 p.m. with a reception featuring Polish food. The film program includes a documentary about Tadeusz Kościuszko and Janusz Zaorski’s new comedy drama Picasso’s Mermaid (Syrenka Picassa). Zaorski will attend and speak with audiences after the screening.

Saturday’s program begins at 2:30 p.m. with The Godmother of Silicon Valley, a documentary about educator Esther Wojcicki and her influence on generations of students. Its directors, Łukasz Bernaś and Maciej Kawecki, will visit Austin and meet the audience after the film. The weekend also features The Doll (Lalka) and Through the Wall (Przez ścianę), winner of the Golden Lions for best film at this year’s Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. Sunday’s screenings begin at 2:30 p.m. Filmmaker conversations will follow selected films.

On Sunday, November 15, at 11 a.m., a family screening and children’s activities prepared by the Polish school will take place at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 3525 Bee Caves Rd.

At 6:30 p.m., pianists Marek and Michał Drewnowski will present In Tribute to Leonard Bernstein at the Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA 89.5 Classical, 41 Navasota St. The closing concert combines Polish and American music with a conversation about Marek Drewnowski’s collaboration with Bernstein, archival images and a four-hand piano finale.

For the complete program and ticket information, visit austinpolishfilm.com.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Organized by the Austin Polish Society since 2006, the Austin Polish Film Festival introduces Central Texas audiences to Polish cinema, filmmakers and poster art.

MEDIA CONTACT

Joanna Sokołowska-Gwizdka | Festival Director
joanna.sokolowska@gmail.com | austinpolishfilm.com