Another calendar year on film sets in Warsaw and Mazovia is behind us. Over the past twelve months, established Polish filmmakers such as Jan P. Matuszynski, Agnieszka Holland and Xawery Zulawski, as well as newcomers Adrian Apanel, Monika Majorek and Pawel Slowny, have produced their works here. There was also no shortage of foreign filmmakers. Warsaw in 2023 was the set of films by Jesse Eisenberg and Burhan Qurbani, among others.

“A Real Pain” photo: producer materials

The shooting of the historical production “Insurgent 1963,” directed by Tadeusz Syka and telling the story of Father Stanislaw Brzóska – a hero of the January Uprising and a terror of the imperial Russian army – began near Warsaw in January 2023. The production, with a cast that included Polish cinema legends Olgierd Łukaszewicz and Daniel Olbrychski in addition to Sebastian Fabijański, who played the lead role, lasted nearly six months. The filmmakers shot at the Modlin Fortress, the Radom Village Museum, the Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw, and the Museum of Wooden Architecture of the Siedlce Region – Nowa Sucha, among others. The premiere of the film took place in January 2024, on the 160th anniversary of the January Uprising. The company Klasyka Pro was responsible for the production.

„Powstaniec 1963” photo: Kino Świat

In February, the first clapper fell on the set of Munk Studio’s “Horror Story,” produced by the Association of Polish Filmmakers, a feature-length debut by talented Gdynia Film School graduate Adrian Apanel. It’s the story of a young banking graduate who rents a room in a rundown villa and throws himself into the search for his first “serious” job. And he collides with the ruthless world of corporations. The backdrop for his story was the modern Warsaw Spire complex at the European Square and the office buildings at the UN traffic circle and Daszyńskiego traffic circle. And the filmmakers found the house from the title horror film in Konstancin-Jeziorna. The film also included shots shot at the Jasmine jazz club, the Harenda bar, the KZRS “Samopomoc Chłopska” Training and Conference Center on Odrębna Street and the National Institute of Public Health on Chocimska Street. The last two locations “played” the Labor Office on the screen.

„Horror Story” photo: Karolina Grabowska

Meanwhile, from March 30 to May 2, the shooting of Jan P. Matuszyński’s new picture “Minghun” based on a script by Grzegorz Łoszewski lasted. The director of “The Last Family” this time decided to direct the camera at the large Asian community present in Poland. Playing the lead role, Marcin Dorocinski plays a father who, after losing his daughter, together with his Chinese father-in-law, decides to perform the title minghun – a peculiar posthumous nuptial ceremony. The film is produced by Wonder Films. Principal photography was carried out in Gdansk, Poland. In Warsaw, the filmmakers shot some scenes in interiors.

„Minghun” photo: Łukasz Bąk

In April, Agnieszka Holland took to the set in the forests near Warsaw. It was largely in the woods in Czarnów near Konstancin and the villages of Wierzbno, Ossówno and Jeruzal that the cinematography for the most famous Polish production of 2023, i.e. “Green Border,” awarded at the Venice International Film Festival, was shot. Telling the story of a multifaceted refugee tragedy on the Polish-Belarusian border, the picture was produced by Metro Lato. The last clapper on the set of “Green Border” fell in June.

„Zielona granica” photo: Agata Kubis

From April 13 to May 20, the shooting of Tomasz Gąssowski’s feature debut “Sparrow” lasted. Played by Jacek Borusiński, the title character is a bachelor approaching forty – a letter carrier and an avid player of an amateur football team. One day his well-ordered life turns upside down when his grandfather, whom he has never met before, and his new, talkative neighbor Marzenka unexpectedly appear in it… Principal photography was carried out in Bielawa near Konstancin, where the home of filmmaker Sparrow is located. Football sequences were shot at the stadium of fourth-league Sparta Jazgarzew. The filmmakers also worked in Zakroczym, Drewnica, Konstancin and on the grounds of the hospital in Tworki, as well as Warsaw’s Lindley Street Hospital. Next Film is responsible for the production of “Sparrow.”

„Wróbel” photo: Jarosław Sosiński

In May, news circulated in the media that popular American actor Jesse Eisenberg was in Warsaw to stand behind the camera of a picture based on his own family history, “A Real Pain.” It’s the story of two feuding cousins who try to reconnect with each other by embarking on a journey to Poland in the footsteps of their Holocaust survivor grandmother. In Warsaw, the crew shot at the Warsaw Uprising Monument and the Ghetto Heroes Monument, among others, before moving on to Lublin and Majdanek. The film was shot by Michal Dymek, and co-produced on the Polish side by Ewa Puszczynska’s Extreme Emotions Bis. The film is a co-production of the Mazovia and Warsaw Film Funds.

From mid-April to mid-June, the shooting of Mary Tamkovich’s feature-length debut “Under the Gray Sky” took place in Wawra. Inspired by a true story, the picture portrays the dramatic fate of two independent Belarusian journalists in the time after the rigged 2020 elections. It’s a story about love, freedom and the price we’re willing to pay for the truth, Media Corporation producers report.

At the end of May and the beginning of June, the shooting of Dominika Montean-Pańków’s feature debut “Crossroads”, which is being produced at the Munk Studio, took place in Warsaw. The author of the award-winning documentary “Voice” invited Jan Englert in front of the camera, for whom this was the first proposal in years to play the lead role. The doyen of Polish cinema plays the role of 82-year-old retired doctor Tadeusz, who is involved in a car accident in which a 24-year-old motorcycle driver dies. The tragic event shatters the man’s life to date, exposing old cracks and fissures in Tadeusz’s 50-year marriage and family. Tying up the plot, the filmmakers shot the accident at the intersection of Malczewskiego and Krasickiego streets. They found the location for the main character’s house in Wawer. In addition, the makers of “Crossroads” shot at the Franciscan Church in Mokotow, the Church of the Bernardine Fathers in Sadyba, as well as at Trema Cafe, Warsaw University of Technology, the District Court on Solidarności Avenue and the Rehabilitation Hospital “Uzdrowisko” in Konstancin-Jeziorna.

„Skrzyżowanie” photo: Bartosz Mrozowski

June also saw the first clap on the set of the sequel to the family hit “Too Big for Fairy Tales,” directed by Kristoffer Rus. This time the filmmakers decided to take the characters of the film to Zakopane. In the first scenes of the film, we see a panorama of Warsaw from the vicinity of the Swietokrzyski Bridge and Waldek and his family setting off from their home in Grochow. Produced by Pokromski Studio, “Too Big for Fairy Tales 2” will be released in mid-March 2024.

From June 24 to the end of July in the capital and the suburban towns of Radzymin, Lubogoszcz and Zakrzew, cinematography was carried out for Monika Majorek’s debut “There Will Be No Other End”. The film tells the story of three siblings and their mother, who try to put their lives back together after the suicide death of their father. The lead roles are played by Maja Pankiewicz, Sebastian Dela, Agata Kulesza and Bartłomiej Topa. The film is produced by Studio Agart.

From July 10 to 31, shooting was underway for another debut – the micro-budget production “Game Over,” directed by Pawel Slow. It is a story, told in the convention of comedy-drama, of Wojtek, a thirty-year-old gamer who, as a result of a court order to leave the family home, has to undergo an accelerated course of puberty. The leading roles were played by Mikolaj Chroboczek, Krzysztof Stelmaszyk, Aleksandra Justa and Tetiana Malkova. The film was shot in Grochów, where the main character’s house is located, as well as in the area of Daszynski Roundabout and the interiors of the Skyliner located there, and in the “Columbus Generation” Square. The interiors of the Training and Conference Center in Wawer “played” a dual role (court and hospital). “Game Over” is the first feature production of the Under Ski Tower studio.

July also saw the first clap on the set of Maciej Ziębicki’s comedy of manners “Baśka” in Warsaw. The title character is a forty-year-old successful woman and head of a family, played by Malgorzata Socha, who one day asks herself “Can she afford anything more?”. The shooting of the Polot Media production, commissioned by the Polsat Plus Group, was carried out at Forty Mokotowskie and on Zgody Street, among other locations.

Throughout the vacations, work continued on the set of the youth comedy of manners “Fuck*zyć Mickiewicz”, directed by Sara Bustamante-Drozdek. It’s a story about a writer and lecturer expelled from university, Jan Sienkiewicz (Dawid Ogrodnik), who finds employment at the Stanislaw Barei High School in Warsaw. The school’s famous class of rebellious and knowledge-resistant outcasts comes under his care. The film was shot on Karowa Street, Poniatówka Beach, Warsaw’s Praga district and Falenica, among other locations.

„Piep*zyć Mickiewicza” photo: Sławomir Mrozek

In the spring and summer of 2023, two films produced by Akson Studio were also shot in the Warsaw area. A crew under the direction of director Maciej Migas worked in Konstancin on the set of the picture “Love Like Honey,” while the shooting of the thriller “13 Days to Vacation,” directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski, took place in Izabelin.

Meanwhile, the suburban town of Zyrardow in August became the set for Maciej Sobieszczanski’s new film Brother. It’s the story of Dawid, a teenage judo player, and his family, whose situation becomes complicated after the boy’s father is sent to prison. The man expects Dawid to give up the sport and help his mother take care of his younger brother Michal. Meanwhile, the boy is given a chance for a foreign sports scholarship…. The filming scenes were shot at the Church of Our Lady of Consolation, as well as a local park and hospital, among others. The producer of “Brother” is Apple Film.

„Brat” photo: Łukasz Bąk

In late August and early September, German director of Afghan origin Burhan Qurbani was shooting his new film “No beast so fierce” in Warsaw. The author of the famous Golden Bear-winning picture “Berlin Alexanderplatz” at the Berlin International Film Festival, this time tells the story inspired by Shakespeare’s “Richard III” of a woman climbing to the top in the world of Arab gangs. The film is being made in a German-French-Polish co-production, and Madants was responsible for the cinematography shot in our country.

In mid-August, near Warsaw, the first clapper fell on the set of “Team AA,” directed by Daniel Jaroszek. It’s a humor-laced story about a group of alcoholics anonymous who, in order to save their therapy center, undertake to smuggle two tankers of spirit from one end of Poland to the other. The film crew shot at the Palace in Jadwisin and the Monar center Osada Oryszew, as well as the towns of Ossowno, Gassy, Sowia Gora and the Kampinos municipality, among others. Shooting for the Next Film production ended on October 9.

„Drużyna AA” photo: Michał Dabal

In mid-August, the crew of “Baby Boom or Kogel Mogel 5” also entered the set. Anna Wieczur sat in the director’s chair of the next chapter of the cult comedy series produced by MTL MaxFilm, telling the adventures of the patchwork Wolanski and Zawada families. The shooting lasted intermittently until October 31, and was shot in Warsaw, including the New Town Square and Krakowskie Przedmieście, as well as in Lomianki, Konstancin-Jeziorna, Jackowo Dolne, Popowo and Jozefow and Otwock.

„Baby Boom czyli Kogel Mogel 5” photo: Karina Szymczuk

Meanwhile, the shooting of Ewa Stankiewicz’s “Road Home” lasted from August to December. This is a historical production costing 19 million zlotys, telling the story of a Polish conductor who is deported by the Soviets to Siberia in 1939. At the same time we follow an alternative history of her life and career in New York. The filmmakers looked for locations in the 1930s, mainly in Wroclaw and the vicinity of Warsaw, including Skierniewice, Białobrzegi, Modlin and the Old Paper Mill in Konstancin-Jeziorna. Meanwhile, in Warsaw itself, a significant part of the shooting took place at the WFDiF halls on Chełmska Street. The crew also shot at the Fryderyk Chopin National Institute on Tamka Street. Jacek Samojłowicz, under the banner of Film Media S.A., is responsible for the production of “The Way Home.”

At the same time, filming was also underway for another significant historical production – “The Triumph of Heart,” directed by Anthony D’Ambrosio. This is the story of the Franciscan Maximilian Kolbe, who died in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp by giving his life for one of his fellow prisoners. The director cast Marcin Kwasny in the lead role, while the film’s international cast also includes Lech Dyblik and Radoslaw Pazura. The main shooting set was organized in Lodz. Nevertheless, part of the shooting was also done in Warsaw. The American company CineMammoth Productions is responsible for the production.

From September 5 to October 5, work continued on the set of Adrian Panek’s “Simona”. In the feature story about the famous explorer of the Bialowieza Forest, the main roles are played by Sandra Drzymalska and Jakub Gierszal. Due to the natural heritage and historic nature of the Dziedzinka forester’s lodge, the filmmakers could not use the original locations, so a detailed replica of Dziedzinka was built for the film in the Mazovian forests near Osieck, with production designer Agata Adamus in charge. The film is scheduled for release in the fall of 2024.

”Simona” photo: Jarosław Sosiński

In October, the first clapper fell on the set of the thriller “Widnokrąg”, directed by Michal Krzywicki. This is the story of Ania (Martyna Byczkowska), who takes care of a luxury villa in the middle of the Masurian forests. She serves rich guests who come there to relax. One day two couples arrive for a rest: charismatic Leon (Michał Żurawski) with attractive Eleni (Joanna Opozda) o and good-hearted Bruno (Piotr Stramowski) with his future wife Magda (Katarzyna Sawczuk). Bruno recognizes Ania: eight years ago her sister Monika was killed in a bomb explosion in the car of Leon, who was her boyfriend at the time. It was because of Ania, among others, that Leon was convicted of Monica’s murder. The film is being made as a co-production of TFP and the Polsat Plus Group. The shooting was carried out in the Mazovian province – Różan, Łomianki, Kampinos.

Also in autumn, among other places in the vicinity of Plock – at Zdworski Lake, Piotr Trzaskalski was shooting his new film “Unaccountable”. The picture starring Agnieszka Grochowska is to be a contemporary psychological thriller. Wiernik Pro is responsible for its production.

In November, meanwhile, the crew of another debut from Munk Studio – “Waiting for the Barbarians” by Michal Ciechomski – entered the set in Warsaw. It’s a story set in the near future in a Poland beset by social crisis, about an unemployed thirty-year-old who, in search of his identity, joins an extreme right-wing organization preaching the need to defend the homeland against the threat from the West. The backdrop for the story included the Polish Word House, the abandoned Bakalarska estate, the “Lustra” music club, the Infant Jesus Clinical Hospital on Lindley and the KZRS “SCh” Training and Conference Center in Wawer.

In the last quarter of 2023, Warsaw also became the set of Xawery Zulawski’s “Kulej,” a biographical story about the legend of the double Polish Olympic gold medalist in boxing from Tokyo’64 and Mexico’68. The title character was played by last year’s winner of the Zbyszek Cybulski Award, Tomasz Włosok. Zbyszek Cybulski Award winner Tomasz Włosok, and although the boxing duels with his participation (including the 1968 Warsaw derby between Gwardia and Legia) were filmed in the Sports Hall in Lodz, the film is meant to be a story about Warsaw in the 1960s. And its makers tried to recreate the realities of the capital at the time. And although the famous Gwardia Boxing Hall at Zelazna Brama Square has long lost its sporting function, its surroundings served as the setting for the aforementioned derby. Kulej’s crew also worked in the surroundings of old Prague tenements and in Ochota (the vicinity of the Infant Jesus Hospital on Lindley Street). Meanwhile, the scenes of the Sports Champions Ball, essential for the film, were shot in the Palace of Culture and Science. “Kuleja” is produced by Watchout Studio, and the last clapper on the set fell on December 20.

„Kulej” photo: Grzegorz Press

At the time, Warsaw was also the set of another boxing picture – “Boxer,” directed by Mitji Okorn and produced by Maciej Kawulski and Open Mind Production for Netflix. Set in the last decades of the 20th century, it is the story of the ups and downs of a boxer climbing the ranks of a professional career. The title character is played by Erik Kulm Jr. and he is partnered on screen by Erik Lubos and Adam Woronowicz. Part of the film was shot in Bytom, Silesia, and part was shot in Warsaw’s Praga Północ district, among others.

SERIES

Back at the end of 2022, the first clapper fell on the set of the series “Forst,” which Daniel Jaroszek is directing for Netflix. It’s based on the prose of Remigiusz Mroz, a story about the titular commissioner (played by Borys Szyc) investigating mysterious murders in Tarty, behind which is the “beast from Giewont”. The main shooting took place in Podhale, nevertheless at the beginning of the year part of the shooting was carried out in Warsaw, including at the Infant Jesus Clinical Hospital on Lindley Street and in Jadwisin near Warsaw.

„Forst” photo: materials of Netflix

The beginning of 2023 also saw the continuation of the shooting of the series “RAFI,” produced by TFP for Polsat Television. The series, directed by Bartek Prokopowicz, is the story of Rafal Nowak (Pawel Domagala) – a classic lightweight who is hit by a car one day. Then Krystyna – the messenger of heaven – appears and makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Will he be able to correct his mistakes and change the lives of others at the same time? Shooting for the series was carried out in Warsaw – in Srodmiescie, the Old Town, Pięciu Rogów Square and Praga Południe.

In the spring, meanwhile, one of the biggest hits of 2023 – the mockumentary series “1670,” directed by Maciej Buchwald and Kordian Kądziela, based on a script by Jakub Różyłło – was filmed in a hall near Warsaw, commissioned by Netflix. The filmmakers, together with producers from Akson Studio, found the mud that delighted viewers, as well as historical objects, while in Podkarpacie – in the Museum of Folk Culture in Kolbuszowa.

„1670” photo: materials of Netflix

The crew of the TVN series “Convicted” met on the set as many as twice in 2023. Work on the set of the third season of the hit series starring Agata Kulesza lasted from January 31 to April 26, while the fourth season was shot from October 18 to December 20, 2023. Bartosz Konopka was responsible for directing both. Although the series is set in a prison in Zabrze, the main location is the grounds of the former hospital on Działdowska Street in Wola, which plays the role of a film prison. The shooting also took place, among others, in the UNITRA building on Nowogrodzka Street, the “Gruba Kaśka” pub on Solidarności Avenue, the Polonia House on Krakowskie Przedmieście, Hoża Street in Śródmieście and Stalowa Street in Praga. The filmmakers also worked in Sekocin, Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki, Moose, Konstancin-Jeziorna and Ząbki – on the site of the former Drewnica Mazovian Hospital.

Meanwhile, “Convicted” also lived to see a spin-off in the form of the series “Pati” developing the story of one of the supporting characters. Shooting of the six-episode series began back in the fall of 2022 and lasted January 2023, with Bartlomiej Ignaciuk in charge of directing. Series locations included the Warsaw-Modlin airport, the Ritual Club on Mazowiecka Street and the headquarters of the National Cooperative Council on Jasna Street.

Another of TVN’s on-air hits, “Shadja 4,” with Akson Studio in charge of production, also made its fourth and final appearance. This time the directing was entrusted to Anna Kazejak. The main serial subject is a psychiatric hospital, which was created in a pavilion on the grounds of the therapeutic and socio-occupational rehabilitation center of the Rheumatological Institute in Konstancin-Jeziorna. The “Szadzi” crew also worked in the Otwock forester’s lodge, the Modlin Fortress, Jadwisin Palace, and the Vistula Boulevards, among others. Also used for the series were the interiors of the headquarters of the Polish Crafts Association on Podwale Street, which played the Police Headquarters, as well as the FSO on Jagiellońska Street and the “Nadwiślański Świt” restaurant.

„Szadź 4” photo: materials of Player.pl

Meanwhile, the second season of “Rodzina na Maxa” (prod. TFP) was produced for Polsat. The series tells the further fate of Karolina and Max, who prove that the age difference is not an obstacle to building a happy relationship. The series, directed by Marta Karwowska, Maria Sadowska and Grzegorz Molda, was filmed in and around Warsaw – Szmulki, Praga Południe, Konstancin-Jeziorna.

TFP was also responsible for the production of two seasons of the series “Teściowie” directed by Grzegorz Kuczeriszka and Krzysztof Jaroszyński for Polsat. It is a story full of family emotions about the relationship of two young people:żelika Nagórska and Lucjan Ledwonia. She – a social media fanatic dreaming of a dazzling career in television, he – a passionate medievalist, in the middle of a doctorate in history. When they realize that they can not live without each other, they decide to pretend that the girl is pregnant so the future in-laws should quickly buy them an apartment. A meeting of the two families takes place, which sets off an avalanche of funny events. Shooting took place in the spring and autumn of 2023 in and around Warsaw – Ursynów, Konstancin-Jeziorna, estates in Wilanów, Anin, a palace in Zaborów.

Warsaw was also the setting for the Canal+ series “When the Wedding,” directed by Piotr Domalewski and Lukasz Ostalski. It’s the story of psychologist Wanda (Maria Debska) and budding actor Tośek (Eryk Kulm jr) – a couple who, to the surprise of their friends, decide to separate after 13 years of relationship…. The film’s protagonists live near Constitution Square, and much of the shooting was done in downtown Warsaw. Akson Studio was responsible for the production, and the shooting took place in the first quarter of 2023.

„Kiedy ślub” photo: P. Pączkowski

Akson was also responsible for making the sensational series “Bay of Spies” for TVP. This is the story of a young German intelligence officer who, after he discovers his Polish origins, decides to become an Allied spy. The script for the series was written by Michal Godzic and directed by Michal Rogalski. The shooting, with Bartosz Gelner playing the lead role, was mostly carried out in the Tri-City area, however the crew spent several weeks in March shooting scenes inside venues in and around Warsaw (including the Stock Exchange building).

Meanwhile, in mid-June 2023, the first clapper fell on the set of Lukasz Jaworski’s “Klara,” which is an adaptation of Iza Kuna’s novel of the same title. It’s a new TVN production telling the story of a 40-year-old Warsaw woman who faces heart problems and the challenges of everyday life. The title character is, of course, played by the author of the original, Iza Kuna, and she is accompanied on screen by Katarzyna Warnke, Piotr Adamczyk, Adam Woronowicz and Eryk Kulm jr. Klara’s apartment was built by the crew on a hall in Sekocin. In Warsaw, shooting took place in the Royal Lazienki Park, Malachowski Square, Central, Ochota and Downtown train stations, as well as at Shuck Restaurant on Grojecka Street, Stixx on Plac Europejski and QUFEL on Swietokrzyska Street, among others. The filmmakers also visited the Ice Arena in Tomaszow Mazowiecki and the Marina Diana resort in Białobrzegi on Zegrze River.

During the summer, the second season of the Stopklatka broadcast series “It’s Not With Me,” directed by Katarzyna Priweziencew, was also filmed at Akson. The film crew returned in August to the fictional town of Zloty Stoczek, into which the suburban town of Blonie turns on screen. Part of the shooting was also carried out in Konstancin and Warsaw.

Shooting of the second season of the series “Green Glove Gang” began in July. Screenwriter Bartosz Kozera and director Bartosz Kruhlik are responsible for the new installment of the series about friendly retired thieves, which is being produced in Konstancin. “Gang” for Netflix is produced by Baboo Production.

From August to October, work was underway on the set of the MTL MaxFilm-produced for TVP series “We Will Live Together,” directed by Anna Maliszewska and Tadeusz Lysiak, about Poland’s reception of a wave of war refugees from Ukraine. The shooting was carried out, among others, at the Warsaw Śródmieście railroad station and the railroad station in Otwock, in Warsaw’s Nowe Miasto and Mariensztat districts, at the facilities of FSO Żerań, as well as at the hospital in Tworki, Józefów, Marcelina, the forest in Palmiry and at the Zegrzyński Reservoir.

August also saw the first clapper on the set of the Polish Television series “Time Undone,” directed by Darek Gajewski. It is a screen adaptation of a multi-generational saga written by Bronislaw Wildstein and shown against the background of the fate of 20th-century Poland. The series is set in Warsaw, and the creators focused on the period of the People’s Republic of Poland and the birth of civic movements – the Workers’ Defense Committee and the first Solidarity.

After 20 years, the TVN station has also decided to return to the popular series “Camera Cafe,” showing in a distorted mirror the behind-the-scenes of corporate work. The shooting of the production “Camera Cafe. Nowe Parzenie”, directed by Jan Macierewicz and Aleksander Pietrzak, was created from October 24 to December 20 at the studio in Sekocin.

„Camera Cafe. Nowe Parzenie” fot. kard z serialu

SHORTS

The aforementioned Munk Studio also shot as many as seven short productions from the Thirty Minutes program directed at young filmmakers in 2023 in Warsaw. In February, the crew of “Among the Night Silence,” directed by Bartosz Brzezinski, entered the set in Ostrówek near Warsaw. Part of the shooting for this production was also done in Piaseczno and at St. John the Baptist Church in Nowy Radzików. The same month also saw the first clapper on the set of Radoslaw Christianski’s “Miracle,” which is being shot in Rembertów, Obory, Karczew and on the grounds of an abandoned hospital on Działdowska Street in Wola. Another Munk Studio project is Maria Magriel’s Border, filmed in Targówek. In June, meanwhile, shooting of Elzbieta Benkowska’s “Falochron” starring Lena Gora continued in the Dramatic Theater, the interiors of the Palace of Culture and hospital facilities on Działdowska and Marszałkowska streets, as well as in Drewnica near Warsaw. In August, Jan Kuzniak’s short film “Deliverer” was shot in Saska Kepa, downtown (UN traffic circle, Spice Garden restaurant, Detox Design jewelry store) and in the vicinity of Swietokrzyski Bridge. In November 2023, the crew of Julia Staniszewska’s film “The Machine” worked on the playing fields in Agrykola and downtown, while the shooting of Karol Ulman’s “Ghosts” – inspired by Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s “The Train” – took place on private property in Józefów near Otwock, realized with the participation of Jacek Poniedziałek and Barbara Liberek.

In total, during the 12 months of 2023, film producers applied as many as 574 times to the Warsaw authorities for permits to shoot, which translated into 995 shooting days. To this should be added a number of shoots carried out in facilities, halls and studios located within the city, as well as at the Feature and Documentary Film Studio at Chelmska 21, as well as pictures created by the so-called reporter method – without applying for official permits.

Rafal Pawłowski