Join us for the highly anticipated opening film of the 2nd Edition of the Kosciuszko Foundation Washington, DC Polish Film Festival on March 4, 2025!

We are excited to present Jesters (Błazny), a gripping and thought-provoking film directed by Gabriela Muskała, who will also be in attendance alongside renowned actor and the film score composer Zbigniew Zamachowski.

It is a directorial debut of Gabriela Muskała, who has just been nominated to the prestigious Polish film industry award "Orły" in the category: "Discovery of the Year".

In Jesters, the lives of a group of film students are turned upside down when they learn their final diploma film will be directed by the famous filmmaker Gajda. The announcement sparks a frenzy of excitement, with everyone eager to secure a role in this prestigious project. But Gajda’s intermittent presence leaves the students to create and record improvised scenes, inspired by the themes of jealousy and rivalry. Drawing on the timeless stories of Cain and Abel and Słowacki’s Balladyna and Alina, the students explore their own ambitions, insecurities, and creative conflicts.

As the rehearsals unfold, tensions mount, and the personal and professional lives of the central characters—Lukasz (Abel), Olo (Cain), Julka (Balladyna), and Alicja (Alina)—begin to blur. Their rivalry intensifies, shifting from competition for roles to an all-consuming contest for their identities and futures.

Jesters is an intimate exploration of the acting world, capturing both the journey to independence and the harsh realities of a career that is as alluring as it is unforgiving. The film beautifully intertwines the personal struggles of the students with their evolving performances, making it an insightful reflection on the nature of ambition and the transformative power of art.

Featuring guest appearances from icons of Polish cinema, including Krystyna Janda, Jan Englert, and Robert Więckiewicz, Jesters offers a deep and captivating look at the craft of acting, filled with drama, emotion, and intrigue.

Gabriela Muskała is one of the leading Polish film and theater actresses, also successful as a screenwriter and director. She has collaborated with figures such as Agnieszka Holland, Marek Koterski, and Jan Jakub Kolski. She is a graduate and lecturer at the renowned National Film, Television, and Theatre School in Łódź. She has performed in theaters in Łódź and Warsaw. Since 2019, she has been associated with the National Theatre in Warsaw. She is the recipient of many prestigious awards and distinctions. In 2019, she was nominated for the most important Polish film award, the Orły, in three categories: 1) Best Actress – "Fuga," directed by A. Smoczyńska, 2) Best Supporting Actress – "7 Uczuć," directed by M. Koterski, 3) Best Screenplay – "Fuga." For the screenplay of this film, she received the Orzeł award in the "Discovery of the Year" category, and for her role as Alicja, the main character, she was awarded at the Avant Garden Festival in Athens, Cinergia in Łódź, and Off Camera in Kraków. Gabriela Muskała has also won, among other awards, four Golden Masks for Theater, first place at the Actor's Song Festival in Wrocław, and the Gdynia Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film "Wymyk" by G. Zgliński (2011). In 2013, she received the "Gloria Artis" Medal for Contribution to Culture. Her outstanding performances in series such as "Londyńczycy," "Paradoks," "Głęboka Woda," and more recently "Skazana" have also brought her popularity. At the Polish Film

Festival in Washington, her directorial debut, Jesters (Błazny), for which she also wrote the screenplay, will be shown. This film earned her a fifth nomination for the Polish Orzeł, this time for Best Director in the "Discovery of the Year" category.

Zbigniew Zamachowski is renowned film and theater actor, composer, and lyricist, Zbigniew Zamachowski is one of Poland’s most versatile and celebrated artists. With two Polish Academy Awards for Best Actor to his name, Zamachowski’s career spans hundreds of notable Polish films and collaborations with iconic directors such as Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Jerzy Hoffman, and Robert Gliński. A graduate of the prestigious State Higher School of Film, Television, and Theater in Łódź (1985), Zamachowski has worked with numerous Warsaw theaters, including Scena Prezentacje, Teatr Dramatyczny, Teatr Ateneum, Teatr Rampa, and many others. Since 1997, he has been associated with the National Theater, while also performing at Och-Teatr and Teatr Polski in Warsaw.

Zamachowski’s career has been decorated with numerous awards, including the Stanisław Wyspiański Award (1989), the Metronom and “Sztandar Młodych” Prize (1993), and the prestigious Zbigniew Cybulski Award. He has won multiple Eagles (Polish Film Awards) for his roles in Cześć Tereska (2002) and Zmruż oczy (2004). He was also honored with the Golden Cross of Merit (2005), the Silver Medal for Meritorious Contribution to Culture – Gloria Artis (2015), and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2017).

Zamachowski is widely known for his roles in Three Colors: Blue (1993), Three Colors: White (1994), Zmruż oczy (2004), The Witcher (2002), Pitbull: Last Dog (2018), and most recently, Zieja (2021).

In addition to his film and theater work, Zamachowski has also made a name for himself as a composer and musician, regularly performing concerts across Poland.

Zbigniew Zamachowski will be a special guest at the Festival as a film score coposer for Jesters (Błazny).

Jesters is preceded by short film: Everything for My Friend (Wszystko Dla Mojej Przyjaciółki) 21 min directed by Lulu Pomorova.

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