Animator at ZACK!

On April 11, 2025, a special screening of Polish animated films will take place at the Metropolis Kino in Hamburg as part of the European Days of Animated Film ZACK! The Animator Festival will present a selection of award-winning Polish animations, showcasing the diversity and creativity of contemporary creators.

The program features eight exceptional films:

Slow Light (Kijek/Adamski, 2022, 10’58”) – A story of a man who can only see the past. This extraordinary perception makes his life a challenge. Through various animation techniques, viewers gain a deeper understanding of how the protagonist experiences reality.

LACK / BRAK (Paweł Prewencki, 2023, 10’45”) – A tale of loneliness, anger, and grief of parents who lose a child. It’s a poignant experience, one for which no one is prepared. Presented through intimate and emotional visual language.

Smell of the Ground (Olivia Rosa, 2023, 7’47”) – An animated interpretation of Sarah Teasdale's poem "There Will Come Soft Rains," depicting a world after the end of humanity. The film conveys the feeling of loss and longing for something that has not yet ended, but already feels distant.

Rain / Deszcz (Piotr Milczarek, 2019, 5’00”) – A story about the mechanisms of group behavior and the lack of individual responsibility leading to tragedy. The film, in a minimalist form, portrays the consequences of blindly following the crowd.

Impossible Figures and Other Stories I (Marta Pajek, 2021, 16’) – A surreal vision of decay and loss. The main character, an elegant elderly woman, reflects on what was and what might have been.

Misaligned / Koniunkcja (Marta Magnuska, 2022, 7’) – A story set in one room, where a woman, a man, a gecko in a terrarium, and flies circling around a lamp seem to coexist in a rhythmic, almost cosmic order.

There Are People in the Forest / W lesie są ludzie (Szymon Ruczyński, 2023, 9’53”) – An animated documentary about the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border of the European Union, where a refugee crisis has been unfolding since 2021. The film follows the fate of a lone man who is detained and abducted by armed individuals in front of the villagers.

Martyr’s Guidebook (Maksymilian Rzontkowski, 2023, 8’59”) – The story of Tony, a man whose kindness knows no bounds. His life takes place in the shadow of an unusual roommate – a giant angel.

After the screening, there will be a panel discussion on sustainable production of animated films. The conversation will feature Birgit Heidsiek (editor of Green Film Shooting) as well as Filip Kozłowski and Alicja Hafke from the Animator Festival.

European Days of Animated Film ZACK!
European Days of Animated Film ZACK! is an event dedicated to animation, organized by EUNIC Hamburg – a network of European cultural institutes, including Instituto Cervantes, Institut français, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, and Goethe-Institut.

Event partners include: Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, Hamburg Animation Club, Creative Europe Desk Hamburg, Animator Festival, Green Film Shooting, and Kinemathek Hamburg e.V.