The 33rd Annual Seattle Polish Film Festival is coming this October 24-26

Seattle Polish Film Festival (SPFF) is an annual event showcasing the best of Polish cinema since the early 1990s. The SPFF is produced and presented by the Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association.

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Latest News

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Big announcement! Sep. 15

We wanted to share that this year, due to a grant from the Polish Foundation, admission to the movie festival will be free of charge! We will be distributing free tickets to the movies and are working on the logistics with the SIFF, but rest assured we will have more updates soon. For those of you who have purchased passes already, we will be refunding you! We are extremely excited for this year's festival and…

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SPFF 2025 opening party with Yaazda — free concert Sep. 04


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2025 Special Guests

2025 Highlights

Comedy

In-laws 3

The hit comedy beloved by audiences is back! In-laws 3 proves that a christening can spark more family drama than anyone bargained for and that even infidelity doesn’t stir up as much chaos as… a holy sacrament!

Drama

Loss of Balance

An acting student regains her confidence thanks to a passionate director, but after learning of his violent teaching methods, she decides to bring him to justice.

Romance

Photosensitive

Agata works with troubled youth, practices freediving, and lives life to the fullest. She is blind. Robert is a sought-after photographer who keeps his distance from people. Their meeting changes everything, helping them discover love and overcome their own limitations.

Comedy

Life for beginners

The film follows a young man, Czarek, who regularly visits his grandmother in a nursing home. He meets a mysterious woman named Monia and becomes involved in investigating a series of deaths among the residents, only to discover that Monia is a vampire.

Comedy

Vinci 2

A retired art thief is savoring a quiet life on Spain’s Andalusian coast when an old associate shows up with an enticing offer: one final job in Poland.

Comedy

Sparrow

Remek’s carefully ordered life as a soccer-loving bachelor and devoted student unravels when he crosses paths with a grandfather he never knew and a captivating new neighbor, Marzenka.

see 2025 films

Interviews with Guests from previous years

About the SPFF

Seattle Polish Film Festival (SPFF) is an annual event showcasing the best of Polish cinema since the early 1990’s. The SPFF is produced and presented by the non-profit Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association.

SPFF was started in 1992 by Polish community leaders Tom Podl and Dr. Michal Friedrich. Mr. Podl and Dr. Friedrich were inspired by other notable Polish Film festivals in the U.S. and in Poland. They wanted to share this special part of Polish culture with the greater Seattle community. SPFF is the second longest running Polish film festival in the United States. 2017 marked its 25th anniversary.

From 2002 to 2005, local attorney Krys Koper directed the SPFF. Mr. Koper ushered in a new era of procuring high quality films and guests. Under his direction, SPFF presented such films as Revenge and When the Sun was God, as well as classics such as The Promised Land and Woman Alone.

From 2006, local patent attorney Greg Plichta directed SPFF. Under Mr. Plichta's leadership, the SPFF showcased critically acclaimed films alongside independent films, shorts, animations, and documentaries. During this time, the SPFF hosted a wide variety of guests and luminaries from Polish cinema. In 2010, Dr. Michal Friedrich returned to SPFF as the Artistic Director, with Greg Plichta as Managing Director.

As of 2011, former Solidarity activist and local film fanatic Zbigniew Pietrzyk has run SPFF, and in 2012 was joined by his son Michal, a television industry professional, as the Artistic Director. Since then, every edition of SPFF is scheduled to reach new heights in terms of film quality, diversity, and sophistication – in large part due to the generous support of its patrons, and the selfless contributions of its dedicated staff.

After the 2022 festival, Zbigniew Pietrzyk retired as the SPFF Managing Director. In 2023, Zbigniew Konofalski took the role of the Managing Director, with Marlena Szymaszek as the Artistic Director. We are looking forward to many more years of successful showcasing of Polish Cinema in Seattle under their leadership.

Sponsors

When you sponsor our cultural exhibition of Polish films your financial support helps cover the costs of film royalties, theater rental, airfare and accommodations for our guests, advertising, and printing. You can participate at different levels, all with added benefits! Review the options for Signature Sponsorship.