A wave of new voices in the competition

The time has come for emerging filmmakers and young critics to enter the prestigious Kamera Akcja Festival competitions: Authors Spotlight, Krytyk Pisze, and Krytyk Mówi. This year’s theme – WAVE – signals movement, new phenomena, and emotions, all of which are closely tied to the work of a new generation of creators.

Submissions are now open for three competitions for young creators: Authors Spotlight, Krytyk Pisze, and Krytyk Mówi.

At the Authors Spotlight International Competition, Kamera Akcja Festival audiences will discover short films that dare to search for their own cinematic language. Submissions remain open until August 9, 2026, and filmmakers can enter fiction, documentary, and animated films of up to 30 minutes in length. “With Authors Spotlight, we are looking for films that do not try to fit into ready-made formulas. We are interested in distinctive perspectives, formal boldness, and stories that stay with viewers long after the screening ends,” says Agnieszka Hawryluk, the competition coordinator.

Past winners of the competition include Emi Buchwald, Jan Saczek, Mateusz Pacewicz, Maciej Buchwald, Maria Wider, and Jan Bujnowski. Films selected by the Selection Committee, formed in cooperation with the University of Łódź, will be screened on the big screen during the festival and compete for awards in the Best Live Action Film and Best Animation categories. The productions will be evaluated by three juries (the Main Jury, the KNF UŁ Jury, and the Young FINA Jury), as well as by the audience, who will select their own favorite.

The 17th Camera Action Festival will take place from October 22 to 25, 2026, in Łódź, and online from October 19 to 21, 2026, on the Think Film platform. This project is made possible thanks to funding from the City of Łódź’s budget. It is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund—a state-administered special-purpose fund—as well as by the Polish Film Institute and the University of Łódź, the festival’s patron. The “Sound Direction” section is organized in collaboration with the Łódź Film School and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Poland. Filmweb is a partner of the section. The festival’s main partners are Monopolis, the Łódź Film School, and the Museum of Cinematography. The Camera Action Festival and the “Man in Danger” Media Festival form the “Łódź Film Festival” network.