Get ready for the Travelling WATCH DOCS Festival

Visual identification of the 21st WATCH DOCS Travelling Film Festival - Marta Lissowska

For the 21st time, the WATCH DOCS festival tours across Poland. In 2023, it will visit almost forty localities.

Since 2003, in cooperation with many partners from all over Poland - non-governmental organisations, academic centres, theatres, cinemas and other cultural institutions - we have been organising the WATCH DOCS Traveling Film Festival after the Warsaw International Festival in December. This year, among the almost forty locations are: Busko-Zdrój, Bielsko-Biała, Cieszyn, Elbląg, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Gniezno, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Imielno, Jawor, Katowice, Kielce, Kraków, Lublin, Mińsk Mazowiecki, Mrągowo, Olsztyn, Opatowiec, Pacanów, Płock, Połaniec, Przemyśl, Rzeszów, Sanok, Słupsk, Solec Zdrój, Staszów, Suwałki, Szczecin, Szydłowiec, Taronowskie Góry , Toruń, Zabrze, Zielona Góra and Żywiec.

The festival will present the best documentaries of the last season - including:

„All That Breathes” – an Oscar-nominated documentary directed by Shaunak Sen. The film tells the story of two brothers from New Delhi who try to save birds of prey, a link in the city's ecosystem. Meanwhile, their city descends into ecological, political and social chaos.
„The Hamlet Syndrome” – documentary by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski - one of the most talked-about Polish documentaries of the last year, winner of the 22nd WATCH DOCS IFF. 'To be or not to be' in Ukraine. A portrait of a generation for whom war has become an everyday reality.
„Young Belaru s” – a film that Warsaw audiences fell in love with - winner of the audience poll of the 22nd WATCH DOCS IFF. It is a documentary in which Łukasz Ruciński and Patryk Szczepaniak show traumatic memories of repression, struggle against the system and longing for ordinary life of young Belarusians.
„Sheltered” – a film about the largest Dutch animal shelter people go out of their way to prepare dogs for adoption in the best possible way – shown alongside the adorable animals they look after.

There will also be accompanying events such as meetings with experts, panel discussions, photography exhibitions, concerts or performances. The 21st WATCH DOCS Traveling Film Festival will run from April until the end of November, and admission to all its events will be free.

Check out details of the local editions of the touring festival here.