Kraków Becomes the Capital of Green Cinema for the Ninth Time

Do we really know what we are breathing? Why does air pollution claim millions of lives every year? And how does climate change affect our health, safety and everyday choices? These and many other questions are being explored during the 9th BNP Paribas Green Film Festival, the largest environmental film festival in Poland and one of the largest in the world. For seven days, the Vistula Boulevards beneath Wawel Castle once again become an open-air cinema and a space for meetings with filmmakers and discussions about the future of our planet.

Engaging cinema for adults and children

The festival offers nearly 100 film screenings, including 58 competition films from around the world, numerous premieres, meetings with filmmakers and daily screenings for children. The programme features both acclaimed productions awarded at international festivals and films embarking on their international journey.

There is also plenty on offer for younger audiences, with daily family screenings focusing on nature and environmental issues. This makes the festival an event for the whole family.

Festival activities will also extend beyond the Czerwieński Boulevard. In addition to the two main open-air cinemas and the children’s cinema, events will be held at the Echo Miasta venue at 56 Kapelanka Street.

Air – the festival’s main theme

This year’s edition is held under the theme “Air”. The quality of the air we breathe provides a starting point for discussions about health, energy, climate change and responsibility for the future.

The festival opened with a screening of Until the Last Breath, the latest film by Ewa Ewart, one of Poland’s most acclaimed documentary filmmakers. The film explores one of the most serious challenges facing the modern world and its impact on millions of lives, providing a starting point for discussions with experts and scientists about whether clean air could become a fundamental human right.

Each day focuses on a different theme, including “Air for Sale,” “A Circular Future,” “The Hidden Cost of Progress,” “Climate Escape,” “Look Up!” and “Faces of the Earth.” The final day will traditionally be devoted to the competition winners.

Scientific stand-ups

Short, dynamic scientific stand-ups prepared by experts and science communicators remain one of the hallmarks of the BNP Paribas Green Film Festival.

“This is not only a festival of great cinema. It is also a space for discussing a world that is changing before our eyes. We want to show audiences that behind every film there are real people, science and concrete solutions. That is why we invite outstanding experts who can help explain complex issues in a simple and engaging way,” says festival director Grzegorz Dukielski.

This year’s speakers include Jakub Wiech, Dr Tomasz Rożek, Miłosz Szymański, Krzysztof Ignaczak, Paweł Ścigalski, Michał Kud and many others. Topics will include energy, climate transformation, the circular economy, responsible consumption, air quality and the impact of our everyday choices on the environment.

Free clothing and bicycle repairs

For years, the BNP Paribas Green Film Festival has demonstrated that cultural events can be organized responsibly. Visitors can enjoy the low-emission Good Food Zone, offering plant-based cuisine, a deposit-return system allowing drinks to be served in reusable cups, circular-economy initiatives, environmental workshops and numerous activities organized by festival partners. Visitors can also take advantage of free minor clothing repairs and bicycle check-ups.

Competition and award-winning screenings

Over the course of seven days, an international jury will select the best documentary and feature films, both short and long, the best Polish film and the winner of the Grand Prix. On the final day, audiences will traditionally have the opportunity to watch the winning productions on the big screen.

“Nine years ago, when we started as a new festival, we wondered whether there would be interest in these issues. Today, Kraków is a global capital of environmental cinema, attracting filmmakers and audiences from all over the world every year. We want to continue proving that cinema can not only move and amaze us, but also inspire us to take action,” emphasizes Grzegorz Dukielski.

The festival runs in Kraków until 16 August. Admission to all events is free. The full programme is available on the festival website.