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Join us for the Kosciuszko Foundation Washington DC Polish Film Festival, happening March 4-9 at Landmark’s E Street Cinema where film enthusiasts can connect with Polish and American filmmakers, gain exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, and engage in discussions about the creative process.
Meet the special guests of this festival edition! They will all participate in post-film Q&A sessions and be available to interact with the audience.
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Ellen Kuras - Special Guest
Academy Award-nominated and two-time Primetime Emmy-winning director/cinematographer Ellen Kuras is known for her work in feature films and documentaries, including Blow (2001), Analyze That (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Her directorial debut, The Betrayal/Nerakhoon (2008), garnered an Academy Award nomination and a Primetime Emmy. Kuras has directed episodes for Ozark, The Umbrella Academy, and Catch-22.
She has received multiple accolades as a cinematographer, including the Student Academy Award for Samsara and the Excellence Awards at Sundance. She is the recipient of the 2024 KF Pioneer Award.
Kuras’s latest project, Lee, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2024, marking her directorial dramatic debut with Kate Winslet as war photographer Lee Miller.
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Gabriela Muskała - Director of Jesters (March 4, 4:00PM)
Gabriela Muskała is a leading Polish film and theater actress, screenwriter, and director. She has worked with Agnieszka Holland, Marek Koterski, and Jan Jakub Kolski and is a graduate and lecturer at the National Film School in Łódź.
She has received numerous prestigious awards, including four Golden Masks for Theater and the Orzeł for Fuga (Best Screenplay, "Discovery of the Year"). She has been nominated for five Orzeł awards, including Best Actress (Fuga), Best Supporting Actress (7 Emotions), and Best Director (Jesters).
Muskała's acclaimed roles in Wymyk, Londynczycy, Skazana, and other productions have earned her widespread recognition. At the Polish Film Festival in Washington, she will present her directorial debut, Jesters (Błazny).
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Zbigniew Zamachowski - Score Composer for Jesters (March 4, 4:00 PM)
Renowned Polish actor, composer, and lyricist, celebrated for his versatility in film and theater. A two-time Polish Academy Award winner, he has starred in iconic films by Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, and Jerzy Hoffman.
A graduate of the Łódź Film School, he has performed at leading Warsaw theaters, including the National Theater. His accolades include the Zbigniew Cybulski Award, multiple Eagles, and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Known for Three Colors: Blue, Three Colors: White, and Squint Your Eyes. Zamachowski is also a musician, regularly performing across Poland. At the Festival, he will appear as the film score composer for Jesters (Błazny).
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Marcin Koszalka - Director of White Courage (March 6, 7 PM)
Cinematographer, director of documentary and feature films which he writes and edits himself. He won the Best Cinematography awards at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, in 2004 and 2009, and the Bronze Frog at the 2009 International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Plus Camerimage in Łódź. He was nominated for the Eagles three times. His film,The Red Spider, received a Special Award of the Jury at the 2016 Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and awards including the 2015 Arras Film Festival, 2015 Cairo International Film Critics Week, 2016 goEast Festival of Central and Eastern European Film in Wiesbaden, together with nominations for the Polish Filmmakers Association award and the 2016 Eagle award. Koszałka is a member of the Polish Film Academy and the European Film Academy.
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Łukasz Karwowski - Director of Two Sisters (March 5, 3:30 PM)
Born in Toruń in 1965, is a film director and producer. He studied Polish philology at Nicolaus Copernicus University and later graduated in Film Directing from the National Film School in Łódź, mentored by Wojciech Jerzy Has. His student film Wstęga Möbiusa (1989) earned a Student Academy Award nomination and won top prizes at international festivals.
Karwowski's works include November (1993), South by North (2006), and the hit romantic comedy Expecting Love (2008). He has directed over 300 TV commercials and produced more than 120, winning numerous awards.
Recently, he has focused on ambitious features: One Soul (2023), Two Sisters (2024), The Truth (2025), and Under the Same Sky (2025). For over 20 years, he has led Zoom Media.
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Artur Zaborski - Executive Producer of People (March 5, 6:15 PM)
Cultural journalist with publications in Polish, American, Canadian, and Swedish media. He studied film studies and literary criticism at Jagiellonian University. He has served as the film editor for Onet.pl and editor-in-chief of Stopklatka.pl.
He is a lecturer at the Warsaw Film School, the artistic director of Script Fiesta, and a programmer for the Tofifest International Film Festival.
Over his 15-year career, he has interviewed some of the most prominent figures in cinema, including Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Penélope Cruz, Mel Gibson, and Winona Ryder.
Nominated for the Polish Film Institute Award in the "Film Criticism" category in 2017, he won the award in 2023.
He is also a two-time recipient of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage scholarship and was awarded the Sundance Institute Journalism Fellowship in 2022.
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