𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, directed by Jan Saczek, has been selected for this year’s Shortlist presented at the 26th BNP Paribas New Horizons International Film Festival! 🎬

🗣️: Speaking of fantasies, every self-respecting institution should have — following the example of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples — its own il gabinetto segreto, a hidden chamber presenting erotic content that stimulates the imagination. Jan Saczek acts as the curator of this section, presenting the exhibition Recess and provocatively asking how one should nurture their sexuality in a world of new technologies and increasingly blurred boundaries between the public and the private.

— wrote 𝐏𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐫 𝐂𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐤𝐢, curator of this year’s Shortlist.

🎬 Recess | directed by Jan Saczek | cinematography by Patryk Roman | production manager Lidia Le Thanh | produced by the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia in Katowice, 2025

Ania, a young primary school teacher, accidentally sends her nude photo to a student who has a crush on her.

Also featured on the Shortlist are 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬, directed by Zuza Banasińska and produced by our alumna Aleksandra Aleksander, as well as 𝐍𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐢𝐫, directed by our alumna Joanna Różniak.

Among the directors featured in the Shortlist section who are under the age of 30, one will receive the Zuzanna Jagoda Kolska Award. The winning film will be announced during the festival awards gala and will receive a prize of PLN 8,000 funded by the Zuzanna Jagoda Kolska Foundation, AMA Film Academy, and the New Horizons Association, as well as a voucher from Dr Irena Eris and a statuette created by the Julia Crystal Glassworks, designed by Sebastian Pietkiewicz.

Link to the full list of selected films.

We warmly congratulate all selected filmmakers and wish them the best of luck!

The festival will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026.