2026 Warsaw Film Festival Recap: These 2 Documentaries Stood Out

Dziękuję! Last weekend I was invited to come over to the capital city of Warsaw, Poland to attend the 42nd Warsaw Film Festival this fall. I've been hearing about this festival and decided to make the trek over to catch up with a few films. WIFF is on the rise as one of Europe's major festivals with a solid fall line-up - complete with government support along with the Polish Film Institute. It's also one of the many prestigious film festivals in Poland ever year with Camerimage, New Horizons, American Film Fest, Splat!FilmFest, etc. I'm lucky I had the chance to stop by and I enjoyed strolling through downtown Warsaw exploring many of the unique venues where screenings take place. One of them is deep underground at the Museum of Modern Art Warsaw (KinoMuzeum), another was located at the top of the tallest building in the city (Varso). Many screenings were at the vintage Kinoteka cinema located inside Warsaw's Palace of Culture and Science – the famous Soviet-era building that is now the symbol of the city located right in the middle of everything. I spent a few days at WIFF watching around 8 films (I've seen many at other fests). I published a few reviews for some of my favorites, but I also want to highlight two documentaries I discovered from the 2026 line-up. // Continue Reading ›

from FirstShowing.net https://ift.tt/ZFpbh5U

Share:

Read More

Sylvia Hoeks & Holly Hunter in 'Hurricanna' Film Trailer About Anna Nicole Smith

"She should be receiving proper care." "You're the one got her on all this crap!" Magenta Light Studios has revealed the official trailer for an indie film titled HurricAnna, directed by filmmaker Francesca Gregorini as her latest feature film. This first premiered at festivals last year and is getting a limited indie release in theaters starting in January 2027. Hurricanna explores & retraces the final hours of Anna Nicole Smith's life in February 2007 before she died from a sedative overdose. In the hours surrounding a glamorous appearance at a championship boxing match, supermodel Anna Nicole Smith, her psychiatrist, and her lover / lawyer form a disastrous trio and descend towards chaos. Starring Sylvia Hoeks as Anna Nicole Smith, Holly Hunter as her therapist, with Mark Duplass, Nicholas Hamilton, Kevin Sussman, Michael Nouri, Lilly Krug, Tom Bower, and Iqbal Theba. This is the second Anna Nicole Smith film recently – the other one being Trust Me, I'm a Doctor about the doc who first gave her all the meds. In this film, Holly Hunter plays the doc giving her even more meds. What a tragic story about fame & abuse & over medication. // Continue Reading ›

from FirstShowing.net https://ift.tt/1dnQulZ

Share:

Read More

Full UK Trailer for 'I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning' About 5 Friends

"Are you sad that you ended up with me?" Curzon has unveiled the first official trailer for the indie UK film titled I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, Clio Barnard's fresh new film about five Birmingham friends navigating loss, and life's limitations, finding meaning through humor & family. This heartfelt indie creation originally premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival playing in the Directors' Fortnight section earlier this year. It's Barnard's latest film since the wonderful Ali & Ava in 2022. A group of friends are bound by love, but separated by circumstance. Five childhood friends face adult struggles: Patrick and Shiv's relationship strains over a secret, Oli parties destructively, Conor awaits fatherhood with business dreams, and wealthy Rian can't escape his past despite moving away. Starring Daryl McCormack, Jay Lycurgo, Joe Cole, Anthony Boyle, Lucie Shorthouse, Millie Brady, James Eeles, Ryan Walker-Edwards, and Lola Pettigrew (who is also in Hulu's "Furious" series this year). It is adapted from Keiran Goddard's book also titled "I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning". No final release date set as it's playing at more festivals this fall and should be out to watch sometime in early 2027. "The future's real, bro! It has to be!" Take a look below. // Continue Reading ›

from FirstShowing.net https://ift.tt/ykhmDiY

Share:

Read More

Official Trailer for 'The Eyes of Ghana' Doc on Filmmaker Chris Hesse

"What was so dangerous about those films that they had to be destroyed?" The United States of Africa? Higher Ground & Breakwater Studios & IShowSpeed debuted the trailer for a documentary film titled The Eyes of Ghana, made by Bend Proudfoot. This premiered at TIFF last year and is getting a small theatrical release this fall before it's streaming. Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse served as the personal cameraman to the first president of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. In 1966, at the onset of a CIA-backed coup, Nkrumah was removed from power, and the footage that Hesse had spent a decade capturing was burned. All was lost. Or so they thought... For decades, Chris Hesse has preserved over 1,000+ reels of Ghana's liberation story — marking it as the single largest existing archive detailing Ghana's liberation story. Yet unseen by the public, these films may not only rewrite Ghanaian and African history — but world history itself. TIFF adds: "The director, Ben Proudfoot, has a gift for honouring overlooked figures and two of his short films where he does so have won Oscars. He met Hesse by happenstance and the two immediately recognized kindred spirits in one another. The coming together of all these talents is a cause for celebration." Oh — this looks absolutely tremendous! A remarkable time capsule of a revolution that almost happened in Africa in the 60s. Must see. // Continue Reading ›

from FirstShowing.net https://ift.tt/UfPTpgJ

Share:

Read More

WIFF Review: Hans Petter Moland's 'Growth of the Soil' Set in Norway

"We can do it." "We did it." Another film flying under the radar at fall film festivals this year is a Norwegian naturalistic film titled Growth of the Soil, based on the book of the same name by acclaimed Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland (of The Beautiful Country, When Bubbles Burst, In Order of Disappearance, Out Stealing Horses). It first premiered at TIFF and I caught up with it at the 2026 Warsaw Film Festival. It's one of many new films that I've seen recently about women being given a chance to find their freedom & agency in a patriarchal world. Moland's movie seems to be Norway's version of Godland (about surviving in harsh nature) + Train Dreams (about a simple man witnessing the changes of society during the 20th century), with a dash of A Different Man thrown in during the second half as well. Pretty good overall. Utterly gorgeous to look at, every single frame. One of these films where I think how did they shoot this?! I am in awe. Did they build that little house from scratch? Did they walk up a mountain every day to film it? How did they make it all so authentic with all the old clothes and tools and untouched land? Ultimately, I think I admire this film and what it's showing us, however I still enjoyed following this story of Isak & Inger. // Continue Reading ›

from FirstShowing.net https://ift.tt/6wVI54i

Share:

Read More

Watch: Adorable Animated Short 'Matcha Mountain' Made at Gobelins

I would love to live on Matcha Mountain, too! Look at this beautiful place. Plus endless match lattes? Yes please. The latest must see animated short film coming out of the prestigious animation school Gobelins in Paris is this one titled Matcha Mountain. (We also recently posted Direction les Champs as well.) Made by a collection of six students at the school as their graduation project, this one features a very soft, lovely, colorful 2D style. Here's the official intro: Granny lives alone on Matcha Mountain. She rescues an injured balloon dog, addicted to matcha desserts by chance. (Of course–just like me, too!) Something begins to stir, and danger slowly creeps toward their fragile happiness... This is a dialogue free animated short that runs only 6 minutes and it's entirely worth a watch. It also reminds me of the charming Miyazaki short last year, which was also made by the same Zijin Chen from this short. Support the talented filmmakers & view below. // Continue Reading ›

from FirstShowing.net https://ift.tt/f8S2IV6

Share:

Read More

Exclusive: Trailer for 'Loves Company' Indie Comedy with Rachel Dratch

"You are a bad houseguest..." FS is proud to debut the official trailer for the indie comedy film titled Loves Company, directed by filmmaker Jason Laurits as his feature directorial debut. This initially premiered at the Dances With Films Festival earlier in 2026 and played at a few other fests, being released by Tribeca Films starting in November on VOD this fall. "Don't Meet Your Idols." Celebrity personality, Blake de Troy, is fading into irrelevancy as a professional guest star and game show contestant. Just when he thinks he can no longer play the Hollywood game, a crazed fan holding him captive, strokes his ego enough to keep him wanting more. And nothing stirs up publicity like a kidnapping. Starring Rachel Dratch, Jack Plotnick, Sarah Baker, Dustin Ingram, Bryan Batt, Tristen J. Winger, Paul Wilson, & Rex Wheeler. This looks like a fun new spin on Misery, featuring a kooky cast playing up the awkwardness of the situation. It's always funny watching Dratch in any film and this one looks like it descends into some extra strange places. // Continue Reading ›

from FirstShowing.net https://ift.tt/hb4tga2

Share:

Read More