We announce the line-up of the Special Screenings section of this year's ToruńCAMERIMAGE.
APOLONIA
Director: Arkadiusz Gołębiewski
Cinematographer: Tomasz Madejski
Produced by: STUDIO GOŁĄB
Country and year: Poland, 2026
The film tells the story of three generations of women: the titular Apolonia, her daughter Marta and her granddaughter Justyna. It reveals a true family history, kept hidden from the younger generation for years because the price of revealing the truth seemed too high. Secrets that come to light decades later change the women’s lives forever.
BEING HEUMANN
Director: Siân Heder
Cinematographers: Jamie Ramsay
Produced by: Apple Studios, Permut
Country and year: USA, 2026
They wouldn’t take Judy Heumann’s phone calls, so she took their building. In 1977, a young disabled woman and a scrappy coalition of outsiders decide they’ve had enough. What begins as one impulsive act becomes the longest occupation of a federal building in American history, as hundreds spontaneously seize government offices and refuse to leave until the bureaucrat standing in their way takes action. Bringing rebellion in all its forms to the hallowed halls of government, a movement’s accidental leaders struggle to find a way forward where no path has ever been paved for them.
THE BLOOD COUNTESS
Original Title: Die Blutgräfin
Director: Ulrike Ottinger
Cinematographer: Martin Gschlacht
Produced by: Amour Fou Luxembourg, Amour Fou Vienna, Heimatfilm
Country and year: Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, 2026
Decades after her mysterious disappearance, the Blood Countess re-emerges in modern-day Vienna, where she reunites with her devoted maid, Hermine, to track down a dangerous book with the power to destroy all evil, including vampires like themselves. The duo embark on a scavenger hunt through the city’s magnificent historic sites and enlist the help of the Countess’s melancholic nephew, a vegetarian vampire named Bubi, and his psychotherapist as they expand their search to Bohemia. Meanwhile, a pair of vampirologists and a police inspector remain hot on their trail.
CLUB KID
Director: Jordan Firstman
Cinematographer: Adam Newport-Berra
Produced by: Rapt Film, Topic Studios
Country and year: USA, 2026
For years, Peter has led a carefree life as a regular on New York’s nightclub scene, organising parties, having fun and consistently avoiding responsibility. One day, ten-year-old Arlo appears on his doorstep, a son he never knew he had. Following his mother’s death, the boy needs someone to look after him, forcing Peter to confront a role for which he is entirely unprepared. At first, he tries to reconcile fatherhood with his old lifestyle, but his growing relationship with his son gradually begins to change the way he sees himself and his future.
THE DEBUT
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cinematographer: Drew Daniels
Produced by: A24, Fruit Tree, Topic Studios
Country and year: USA, 2026
For as long as she can remember, Mona’s life has revolved around being a wife, mother and homemaker. End of story. There has never been any time or room for her own ambitions, plans or dreams. But now that her children have grown up and her husband is busy pursuing his career, Mona decides to surprise everyone by finally following her dream of appearing on stage. When she lands a role in a play, the eccentric director openly admits that he cast her not for her talent, but simply because no one else auditioned. Although Mona initially seems like a fish out of water in this colourful world, she gradually begins to see the theatre troupe as her second family.
DIGGER
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Produced by: Legendary Pictures
Country and year: USA, 2026
The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s saviour before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
EL SETT
Director: Marwan Hamed
Cinematographer: Abdelsalam Moussa
Produced by: Film Clinic
Country and year: Egypt, 2025
The story of Umm Kulthum, from a childhood spent singing in rural Egypt disguised as a boy to her battle for acceptance in Cairo, her heartbreaks and sacrifices, and her transformation into the Arab world’s most iconic voice, culminating in her historic 1967 Olympia concert.
EUPHORIA
Director: Julian Rosefeldt
Cinematographer: Christoph Krauss
Produced by: Julian Rosefeldt, Filmproduktion
Country and year: Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, USA, 2026
A journey through the history of capitalism and greed. Populated by surreal characters and animals, a dystopian New York serves as the backdrop for a hypnotising trip deep into the complexity of human nature at its best and worst.
FJORD
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Cinematographer: Tudor Vladimir Panduru
Produced by: Aamu Film Company, Eye Eye Pictures, Film i Väst, Filmgate Films, Garagefilm International, Mobra Film, Snowglobe, Why Not Productions
Country and year: Romania, 2026
Lisbet and Mihai Gheorghiu are a conservative couple who have relocated from Romania to Norway with their five children. The family studies the Bible daily and shields their children from the temptations of the modern world. Their strict principles cause a stir when one of the children is accused of criticising someone’s sexual orientation. But a real avalanche of events is set in motion when a bruise is noticed on their eldest daughter. Norwegian-born Lisbet understands the gravity of the situation better than her husband, who insists on his right to raise their children as he sees fit. When he admits to occasionally spanking them, he sets off a chain of events.
FLESH IMPACT
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Cinematographer: Lawrence Sher
Produced by: Superprime
Country and year: USA, 2026
A 100-year-old woman arrives unannounced to audition for a Broadway play. Standing alone on stage, she begins to reveal strange truths about a life in the public eye and a woman the world thought it knew.
HOT SPOT
Director: Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Cinematographer: Jakub Kijowski
Produced by: Madants
Country and year: Poland, 2026
In a world of the (not-so-)distant future ruled by artificial intelligence, a detective with many faces and a decidedly unconventional style is tasked with solving a murder mystery. But this is only the starting point for a series of strange events that will shake the foundations of the new world order. The system is unstable. The temperature is rising. Will his sense of duty and commitment to service prevail over his wild, dormant nature?
ICARUS. THE LEGEND OF MIETEK KOSZ
Original Title: Ikar. Legenda Mietka Kosza
Director: Maciej Pieprzyca
Cinematographer: Witold Płóciennik
Produced by: RE Studio
Country and year: Poland, 2019
As a child, Mietek loses his sight and is placed by his mother in the care of nuns in Laski. At a centre for blind children, he discovers that music can become a new way for him to communicate with the world. Over time, he becomes an accomplished classical pianist, but when jazz enters his life, he has only one goal: to become the best jazz pianist in Poland. He enjoys growing success both at home and internationally. Then he meets Zuza, a charismatic singer. Their encounter will change his life.
THE IDIOT(S)
Directors: Michał Englert, Małgorzata Szumowska
Cinematographer: Michał Englert
Produced by: GRP Hypestudios
Country and year: UK, Germany, Poland, 2026
Newlyweds Fyodor and Anna’s European honeymoon leads them to Baden, where their journey turns into an unexpected and turbulent stay lasting several years. Together, they struggle to overcome obstacles so that Fyodor can write his future masterpiece, The Idiot.
INK
Director: Danny Boyle
Cinematographer: Alwin H. Küchler
Produced by: StudioCanal
Country and year: USA, UK, France, 2026
The year is 1969. Ambitious publisher Rupert Murdoch takes over the British newspaper ‘The Sun’ and puts the uncompromising editor Larry Lamb in charge. Their aim is to create a newspaper unlike anything the world has ever seen. They embrace celebrity scandals, paparazzi photographs, stories about sex, nudity and the language of the streets, overturning the established conventions of journalism. Within a short time, ‘The Sun’ becomes a cultural phenomenon, attracting millions of readers.
THE INVITE
Director: Olivia Wilde
Cinematographer: Adam Newport-Berra
Produced by: Annapurna Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment, Permut Presentations
Country and year: USA, 2026
Joe and Angela have been married for over a decade. On the surface, their marriage seems almost perfect: a peaceful, comfortable life in a respectable neighbourhood, a child and financial security. But behind this façade lie mutual resentments, petty conflicts and, above all, boredom and routine. When the couple invite a pair of mysterious neighbours over for dinner one evening, what begins as a relaxed, friendly conversation gradually turns into a game of ambiguity and hidden meanings, bringing deeply buried desires to the surface.
KOKUROJO: THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cinematographer: Yasuyuki Sasaki
Produced by: Shochiku
Country and year: Japan, 2026
When Lord Murashige Araki rises up against the tyrannical Nobunaga Oda, he finds himself besieged within the walls of his own castle. Isolated, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court, plunging the fortress into fear and suspicion. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei Kuroda, a brilliant yet dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon.
THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF WILSON SHEDD
Director: Tim Blake Nelson
Cinematographer: Benoit Soler
Produced by: Co Created Media, Red Barn Films, V42
Country and year: USA, 2026
Based on actual events, when a teacher in an abusive marriage takes a job leading creative writing classes at a maximum-security prison, she begins to fall for a charismatic inmate. The consequences call into question not only the nature of punishment and retribution, but the very limits of our humanity.
MY SUMMER OF LOVE
Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
Cinematographer: Ryszard Lenczewski
Produced by: Apocalypso Pictures, Baker Street, BBC Films, Take Partnership, The Film Consortium, UK Film Council
Country and year: UK, 2004
Mona and Tamsin seem to have little in common. Arrogant and witty, Mona lives with her brother Phil, who, following a religious conversion, is determined to save everyone around him. Tamsin is the spoilt daughter of wealthy parents, with a tendency to be overly dramatic. Their meeting soon develops into a mutual fascination, and the lives of all three become increasingly intertwined.
NORTH TO PARADISE
Director: Dani Sancho
Cinematographers: NOUN (Lluis Ferrer Calafell, Marcel Pascual)
Produced by: A Contracorriente Films, Arcadia Motion Pictures, Atresmedia Cine, Mundo Cero, Mundo Cero Crea, Noodles Production
Country and year: Spain, 2026
Based on the true story of Ousman Umar, a young Ghanaian man who leaves his village drawn by the idea of the ‘land of the white people’, a distant place that fuels his curiosity. After a journey full of obstacles, he arrives in Barcelona and discovers that life there is not as he imagined it. Then he meets Montse, who welcomes him into her family and offers him not only love and support but also the possibility of a future. Ousman not only seizes this opportunity but transforms it into something much more.
PAPER TIGER
Director: James Gray
Cinematographer: Joaquín Baca-Asay
Produced by: AK Productions, LEAF Entertainment, Leone Film Group, Vixens
Country and year: USA, Brazil, Italy, 2026
Gary, a former New York police officer, draws his brother Irwin into a business venture that promises to secure his family’s financial future. The plan involves establishing ties with a community of Russian immigrants. But when the brothers discover that they are actually dealing with a powerful Russian criminal gang, it is already too late to back out. Their new business partners quickly turn into ruthless enemies, and Irwin, a man who has always shunned violence, must now fight to protect his family.
POSSIBLE LOVE
Original Title: 가능한 사랑
Director: Chang-Dong Lee
Cinematographer: Ji-Yong Kim
Produced by: Anonymous Content, Nowfilm, Pinehouse Film
Country and year: South Korea, 2026
A story of two married couples, a laid-off worker and his spouse, and a documentary filmmaker and her spouse, whose paths cross when they come together to make a documentary, confronting their different lives and hidden desires.
PRIMETIME
Director: Lance Oppenheim
Cinematographer: David Bolen
Produced by: A24
Country and year: USA, 2026
Inspired by true events, this gripping thriller explores the fine line between ambition, the desire for success and obsession, which can turn into a dangerous game. Charismatic reporter Chris Hansen ventures into the criminal underworld, determined to change the face of television. Over time, however, he becomes consumed by his own obsessions and, as he rises to fame, begins to lose sight of his original goal.
TRIUMPH OF THE HEART
Director: Anthony D'Ambrosio
Cinematographer: Andrew Q Holzschuh
Produced by: Sherwood Fellows, Under Ski Tower
Country and year: USA, Poland, 2025
Triumph of the Heart is a drama based on the true story of St Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Franciscan friar who gave his life for a fellow prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The film begins where most stories about Father Kolbe end, in the death cell. And whilst flashbacks take us back to key moments in the life of St Maximilian Maria Kolbe, it is within this confined space that the most poignant account of the saint’s final days unfolds.
YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER
Director: Bassam Tariq
Cinematographer: Katelin Arizmendi
Produced by: Amazon MGM Studios, Two & Two Pictures, Orion Pictures
Country and year: USA, 2026
Latif is a devoutly religious hitman who struggles to balance work, faith and fatherhood. When his wife dies, he embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children, confronting the forces closing in around him and the beliefs threatening to unravel within.