Experiencing Interruptions?

GLORIOUS SUMMER

In a serene, sun-drenched world, three young girls spend their days in carefree play, mindfulness exercises, and idle contentment. Their every need is meticulously cared for by an all-encompassing, nurturing system that keeps their lives perfectly stable and predictable. For years, they've lived in this blissful, responsibility-free bubble, where summer never ends.

But cracks soon begin to appear in this idyllic picture. Lip-reading, because some things can't be said out loud. Secretly practicing how to die, which is supposed to be the ticket to "another place." Listening for explosions rumbling in the distance.

Beneath the smiles and cheerful surface, anger and resentment that have been suppressed for years start to surface. The wellness-focused daily routine begins to feel more like a form of enslavement. Everything is heading toward inevitable catastrophe.

Will the girls, raised in a state of perpetual immaturity, be able to cross the boundaries imposed on them by the system?

  • Helena Ganjalyan
    Director
  • Bartosz Szpak
    Director
  • Helena Ganjalyan
    Writer
  • Bartosz Szpak
    Writer
  • Maria Gołoś
    Producer
    Autumn Girl, I'm a Killer
  • Monika Matuszewska
    Producer
    Into The Wind
  • Helena Ganjalyan
    Key Cast
    "HELENA"
  • Magdalena Fejdasz
    Key Cast
    "MAGDA"
  • Daniela Komędera
    Key Cast
    "DANIELA"
  • Weronika Humaj
    Key Cast
    "NOWA"
  • Tomasz Woźniczka
    DOP
    Bread and Salt, Lipstick on the Glass
  • Alan Zejer
    EDITOR
    Under The Volcano, Bread and Salt
  • Katarzyna Tomczyk
    PRODUCTION DESIGNER
  • Małgorzata Karpiuk
    COSTUME DESIGNER
    The Zone of Interest, The Testament of Ann Lee
  • Zuzanna Kot
    COSTUME DESIGNER
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 29 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 3, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    270,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Poland
  • Language:
    Polish
  • Shooting Format:
    16mm
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • SXSW
    Austin
    United States
    March 8, 2025
    world premiere
    Global section - Special Jury Award in the Poster Design Competition
  • New Horizons International Film Festival
    Wrocław
    Poland
    July 18, 2025
    Polish premiere
    Competition
  • Not Film Fest
    Santarcangelo di Romagna
    Italy
    August 30, 2025
    Italian premiere
    Best Performance Award (Ensemble) - Shooting Star Features Competition
  • Gdynia Polish Film Festival
    Gdynia
    Poland
    September 26, 2025
    Sapphire Lions Award for the best film in the Perspective Competition
  • filmPOLSKA Polnisches Filmfestival
    Berlin
    Germany
    September 11, 2025
    German premiere
    Competition
  • Mostra São Paulo International Film Festival
    São Paulo
    Brazil
    October 16, 2025
    South American premiere
    New Filmmakers Competition
  • REC Festival Internacional de Cinema de Tarragona
    Tarragona
    Spain
    December 4, 2025
    Spanish premiere
  • Electricdreams International Film Festival
    Milan
    Italy
    October 13, 2025
    Competition
  • Spektrum Film Festival
    Świdnica
    Poland
    October 23, 2025
    Competition 1,2
  • Ankara Film Festival
    Ankara
    November 13, 2025
    Taptaze Section
  • Brussels Independent Film Festival
    Brussels
    Belgium
    February 4, 2026
    Benelux premiere
    Best Narrative Feature Film
  • Kosmorama Trondheim International Film Festival
    Trondheim
    Norway
    March 5, 2026
    Nordic premiere
    New Directors Section
  • RiverRun International Film Festival
    Winston-Salem
    United States
    April 18, 2026
    North Carolina premiere
    Honorable Mention - Re:Vision Independent Feature Competition
  • Neisse Nysa Nisa Film Festival
    Neisse
    Germany
    May 27, 2026
    Competition
  • Koszalin Festival of Film Debuts
    Koszalin
    Poland
    June 12, 2026
    Best Cinematography, Breakthrough Acting Performance - Female Roles
  • Brooklyn Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    June 1, 2026
    NY premiere
    Narrative Feature Competition - Best Style Award
  • Chattanooga Film Festival
    Chattanooga
    United States
    June 21, 2026
    Tennessee premiere
  • Genoa International Film Festival
    Genoa
    Italy
    Best Feature Film
  • Sopot Film Festival
    Sopot
    Poland
    Competition 1-2-3 GO!
Distribution Information
  • Galapagos Films
    Distributor
    Country: Poland
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak

Helena Ganjalyan and Bartosz Szpak are a multi-disciplinary, dynamic directors duo based in Warsaw. Helena is a graduate of the Academy of Theater Arts St. Wyspiański in Kraków, Bartek graduated from the Łódź Film School. For many years, they have been working simultaneously in various creative fields – they both have acting education and experience, Helena’s background is also theater direction, choreography and photography, and Bartek’s music composition and directing audio productions. GLORIOUS SUMMER is their debut feature film. Apart from developing longer forms they also direct commercials and music videos.

Whether it’s through their sense of humour or their ability to craft exceptional atmospheres, Helena and Bartek always seek to create visually striking and self contained universes. Their creative process is characterized by attention to detail, precise planning and searching for the best visual form for the stories told. Their work recognizes the extraordinary in the ordinary – always with a human story at its core – realistic or abstract.

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Director Statement

You wake up. The sun is shining. You eat what you want. You don't have to do anything, you don't have to strive for anything. You don't go anywhere, you don't have any obligations. You know what awaits you... and that's how every day looks like.

A world without decisions, without a sense of responsibility. One in which there is space to live, apparent peace and detachment from everyday problems. A world of positive affirmation, in which only the "here and now" counts. GLORIOUS SUMMER is a film about whether such state is worth sacrificing your freedom, agency and the possibility of experiencing life to the fullest.

We observe three heroines whose lives have been enclosed within the boundaries of what is within their sight. They function in one, common space, cut off from the outside world, from any religion, politics, media. They only have to "be". Their emotions seem to be limited to those they know the names for, and "pain", "sadness" or "anger" have been crossed out of the dictionary.

The system in which our characters live is a response to the world of overstimulation, excess of possibilities, satiety. GLORIOUS SUMMER is supposed to be synonymous with peace, prosperity, moderation, predictability, immutability. It is a space with a predetermined value system, in which slogans known from mindfulness or wellness workshops are pushed to the limits of absurdity.

The goal is to eliminate uncertainty and the element of questioning, while creating an easy-to-manage society - one that does not doubt, does not worry and above all does not increase its needs or expectations. The palace in which the characters live is a representation of the past - a new man is being created on the ruins of the old civilization.

The rules of this reality are extremely transparent and clear. The lack of responsibility and anxiety related to plans and unrealized possibilities is supposed to be the key to an “easy” life experience.

However, as time passes, the inevitable human complexity shines through. The question arises - can an eternal state of peace and well-being, devoid of balancing opposites, still be experienced as something positive?

In GLORIOUS SUMMER we want to ask the question about the importance of responsibility and the resulting maturity which amount to becoming an "adult".