The 25th Warsaw Film Festival kicks off Oct. 9, showcasing the latest productions of Polish and world cinema. This year, the festival program has a record number of 200 premieres. Screenings will take place in 10 Warsaw cinemas, including Multikino Złote Tarasy, Kinoteka, Kultura and Rejs. As every year, awards will be granted in five competition categories. The most prestigious award will be the Warsaw Grand Prix of zl.100,000 from the mayor of Warsaw for best feature in the international competition. The remaining sections are Competition 1-2 for first and second feature films by directors from all over the world, the Free Spirit Competition for independent films, the Documentary Competition, and the Shorts Competition for European films of 45 minutes or less.

Polish films will include Dom zły (The Dark House) directed by Wojciech Smarzowski; Esterhazy, a short animation from Izabela Plucińska, who won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2005; and the Bad Boys cela 425 (Bad Boys Cell 425) documentary by Janusz Mrozowski. The festival runs until Oct. 18. For program details, go to www.wff.pl
The honorary patrons of the festival are the Warsaw mayor and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.