Grzegorz Dębowski’s What Belongs to Others has won the Warsaw Grand Prix at the 42nd Warsaw International Film Festival. The winners were announced at the festival’s awards ceremony on October 17, ahead of its closing on October 18. Other major honours went to Cai Chengjie for Best Director for Suzhou Quartet, Lorin Terezi’s Agia in the Competition 1–2 section, and Jonas Spriestersbach’s documentary Meanwhile in Namibia.
Dębowski’s What Belongs to Others took the top prize in the festival’s international competition. The film follows a woman who gradually slips into a stranger’s identity and life, discovering the possibility of a different future. The jury praised its precise storytelling, performances and nuanced portrayal of a flawed woman undergoing a transformation. It also highlighted the film’s ability to explore its central character without passing judgment on her.
Chinese filmmaker Cai Chengjie received the Best Director award for Suzhou Quartet. The film follows four people who meet by chance in a small noodle shop and discover that they share a past. The jury praised its ambitious concept, striking cinematography and experimental narrative structure, describing it as a layered reflection on life and mortality.
Maria Dębska received a Special Jury Award for her performance in Maciej Sobieszczański’s Through the Wall. Set during the Stalinist terror in Poland, the film follows two young political prisoners who fall in love. The jury recognised Dębska’s emotionally restrained and precise performance. The film also received the FIPRESCI Award.
Jens Sjögren’s Bloody Men received a special mention in the international competition. The jury recognised the film’s portrayal of domestic violence and the challenges faced by children growing up in an unstable family environment.
Lorin Terezi’s Agia won the main award in Competition 1–2, which is dedicated to first and second fiction features. The film centres on a young woman who challenges patriarchal traditions and expectations surrounding family honour as she seeks to make her own choices. The jury praised the debut’s completeness, subtle storytelling and structure reminiscent of Greek tragedy.
Urša Menart’s Everything That’s Wrong With You received a special mention in the same section. The film was recognised for its portrayal of a young woman searching for genuine human connection amid emotional uncertainty and complicated relationships.
Jonas Spriestersbach’s Meanwhile in Namibia won Best Documentary Feature. The film examines how the German government has offered development cooperation programmes instead of reparations for its colonial occupation of Namibia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The jury praised its visual storytelling and its examination of moral complexity without imposing simple judgments on the audience. María Molina Peiró’s Like Any Other Mortal received a special mention in the documentary competition.
In the short-film categories, Elisabeth Werchosin’s Meteorit won both the Short Grand Prix and the Best Live-Action Short Film Award. Dylan Glynn’s Knowing Gaze received the award for Best Animated Short Film, while Sina Aghazadeh’s A Letter to Home won Best Documentary Short Film.
Other honours included the Ecumenical Jury Award for Linda Olte’s The Child and the NETPAC Award for Keisuke Yoshida’s Mentor. Martina Buchelová’s Lover, Not a Fighter received the Young FIPRESCI Award.
Beth de Araújo’s Josephine won the Polish Film Institute Award, which is based on audience ratings at the festival. Angelika Cygal’s Dying of the Young Deer received the ORLEN Award for Best Polish Short Film.
The Speakers’ Avenue Film School Award went to Felipe Sánchez García’s The Death of a Bird. Dagmara Piasecka received the KIPA Award for Best Producing Debut for Pixie. The Beginning.
Warsaw Film Festival 2026: Winners at a Glance
- Warsaw Grand Prix: What Belongs to Others — Grzegorz Dębowski
- Best Director: Cai Chengjie — Suzhou Quartet
- Special Jury Award for Acting: Maria Dębska — Through the Wall
- International Competition Special Mention: Bloody Men — Jens Sjögren
- Competition 1–2 Award: Agia — Lorin Terezi
- Competition 1–2 Special Mention: Everything That’s Wrong With You — Urša Menart
- Best Documentary Feature: Meanwhile in Namibia — Jonas Spriestersbach
- Documentary Special Mention: Like Any Other Mortal — María Molina Peiró
- Short Grand Prix and Best Live-Action Short: Meteorit — Elisabeth Werchosin
- Best Animated Short: Knowing Gaze — Dylan Glynn
- Best Documentary Short: A Letter to Home — Sina Aghazadeh
