FURIA w Śnialni, the first films in the competition, and daring returns to the music video universe. The highlights of the Ars Independent festival schedule are confirmed. Passes are still on sale.

More accompanying events have been added to this year’s Ars Independent Festival program. To start with—a tried-and-true Ars classic: Maciej Gryzełko’s CHOKED&BLIND—a section for adult viewers who are ready at any time of day or night for a solid dose of audiovisual entertainment with a distinctly transgressive edge. This time, we boldly pair selected shocking and uncompromising music video classics with the latest productions that just as boldly push the boundaries of form and content. As is tradition, we’ll also take a look into the future of Polish cinema during a screening of short films produced by the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School. In this year’s selection of ROZBIEG – version 3.0 – we will see, among others, the raw, documentary-style “Zrywka” by Aram Jesayan, the subversive yet classically told “Fish and Chips” by Bartłomiej Błaszczyński, and the hypnotic, formally precise “Initium” by Marek Mogilski, starring Kamila Urzędowska.

We also know the first competition films—both will have their Polish premieres at Arsa. The Chilean “Matapanki”—Diego “Mapache” Fuentes’ Berlinale-awarded feature debut—is a feisty, raw, punk-energy-filled, surrealist and rebellious reinterpretation of heroic cinema. The director himself, who will be a guest at the festival, will tell us more about the film. At the opposite end of the artistic spectrum, we find “After Dreaming” by Christine Haroutounian: a dreamlike post-war story straddling the line between national cinema, mesmerizing slow cinema, and trance-like avant-garde.

The metaphysical landscapes of the iconic Śnialnia and the studio at Piastowska 1 have become a permanent fixture in the Arsa program. This year, we return to them for an intense musical experience: FURIA W ŚNIALNI/ODSŁUCH W KINIE is a unique event during which we will immerse ourselves in the universe of one of the most original albums by black metal band FURIA, which the Silesian group recorded in the painting studio of Urszula Broll and Andrzej Urbanowicz. After listening to the album, we will talk with members of FURIA and Małgorzata Borowska—a visual artist who has been associated for years with the legendary studio at 1 Piastowska Street in Katowice.

More about current accompanying events, venues, guests, and artists of this year’s Arsa at: https://arsindependent.pl/program

PASSES: EARLY HORSE AND BLACK HORSE

From June 11 until the announcement of the full Festival program, the Early Horse basic pass can be purchased for 160 PLN (128 PLN with the Katowice Resident Card). The Early Horse basic pass includes: an ID badge granting access to all screenings and festival events (with the exception of the special Film and Dinner event) and a welcome package consisting of promotional materials from the Festival and its partners.

The special Patron Pass, or Black Horse, is still available for purchase at a fixed price of 280 PLN for all those who wish to support the Festival. In addition to the contents of the basic package and the satisfaction of being a Festival Patron, the pass also includes a gadget with the Festival logo and admission to the Film and Dinner event.

Early Horse and Black Horse passes can be purchased at the Światowid Cinema box office and via the Światowid Cinema and Ars Independent Festival websites. Early Horse passes can also be purchased at Miasto Ogrodów: at the box office and online. The number of passes is limited.

For those who don’t want to buy a proverbial “pig in a poke” (or in this case, a horse) and prefer to wait until the full program is announced before purchasing, the Regular Horse pass (190 PLN/152 PLN with the Katowice Resident Card) will be available available for purchase starting on the day the full festival program is announced.

The Ars Independent Festival has been in existence since 2011; since 2024, it has been organized jointly by the cultural institution Katowice Miasto Ogrodów and the Silesia Film Film Institution in Katowice. This year’s edition of Ars will take place from October 2–11, in an extended format. The organizers invite you to film screenings and events at Katowice’s Światowid Cinema and Rialto Cinema, as well as at the venues Piąty Dom and Drzwi Zwane Koniem. The festival features four program sections: film, animation, video games, and music videos. Additionally: special events and sections, concerts, meetings, and discussions with creators.