Czarna godzina / Empty Pockets
2026, 75 min.

Prepremiere screening

Awards and selections: 2026 Venice International Film Festival – Orizzonti
Director: Grzegorz Dębowski
Screenplay: Grzegorz Dębowski
Cast: Monika Kwiatkowska

[IN-PERSON SCREENING]

 

Sometimes, starting over means stepping into someone else’s life

Presented in the prestigious Orizzonti section of the 2026 Venice International Film Festival, the latest film by Grzegorz Dębowski, director of the critically acclaimed and audience-favourite Nothing More (Tyle co nic), centres on an unconventional heroine who, despite a difficult life, tries to hold on to her optimism.

Kasia makes a living by breaking into apartments and stealing from them. When she accidentally enters the home of a deceased man, she begins posing as his partner. What starts as a means of survival gradually turns into a journey through someone else’s memories and relationships. In time, Kasia begins to imagine that she could live differently and finds the strength to start over.

Grzegorz Dębowski

Director and screenwriter, born in 1987. A graduate of the Polish National Film School in Łódź, he gained experience working, among others, as an assistant to Paweł Pawlikowski. He rose to prominence with his feature debut Nothing More (Tyle co nic, 2023), which won, among other awards, prizes for Best Debut and Best Screenplay at the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia, as well as the Polish Film Award for Discovery of the Year. His work is characterised by a strong commitment to socially engaged cinema. On 27 February 2022, he travelled by hitchhiking to Ukraine with José Andrés, helping him launch a humanitarian aid effort.

Tags: Polish cinema, social cinema, identity, memories, starting over