Published: 9 July 2026
Circus & Film | short film screening
About
The Carnaval Sztukmistrzów (July 23-26, 2026, Lublin) is not only about performances and street shows, but also about encounters with circus art on screen. As part of the Circus & Film project, we invite you to a unique selection of films that present contemporary circus from a completely new perspective.
What does Circus look like on the big screen? The Circus & Film network, initiated by the CircusDanceFestival, explores circus through the camera lens and creates visibility for international circus filmmakers.
Since its foundation, in collaboration with numerous international festivals, a jury has been reviewing submissions to an open call every year and looking for circus forms on screen with distinctive cinematic approaches. The selected films premiere at the CircusDanceFestival in Cologne and then tour international partner festivals: Short Waves Festival (PL), Circus City Bristol (UK), Moovy Tanzfilm Festival Köln (DE), Dynamo Workspace and OFF -Odense International Film Festival (DK),Dinamico Festival (IT), Flic Circus School(IT), Cirkus Kolektiv (HR). This year, they will also be available to watch during the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów.
The programme will include stories about the passage of time, memory and the transformation of the body, the relationship between humans and nature, as well as the boundaries between risk, movement and emotion. The protagonists of these films juggle, balance, climb and travel through spaces – both real and imagined.
It will be a symbolic journey through the various faces of contemporary circus: from documentary observations of life and growing up, through dreamlike and poetic depictions of the body, to humour, absurdity and experimentation inspired by performance art.
Every day, all short films will be available to watch in a one-hour screening block.
Details
July 24, 2026 (Friday), 12:00-13:00 | Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
July 25, 2026 (Saturday), 12:00-13:00 | Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
July 26, 2026 (Sunday), 12:00-13:00 | Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
About films
Lehmann/Pels | “Urban Club Art” (Germany, 2 min)
The film “Urban Club Art” is an experimental image/sound montage that works with objects and places, reassembling them into new visual constellations. Inspired by Fluxus ideas, a series of subtle image compositions, absurd installations and witty montages unfold. A juggling club moves through public space, always on the jump from one GPS coordinate to the next. It’s a special kind of sightseeing tour of Cologne. The finale presents a visionary reimagining of the Cologne skyline – from a circus perspective.
Circo Aereo | “Lähde” (“Fountain”) (Finland, 17 min)
“Lähde” is a coming-of-age documentary filmed over twelve years on a bridge in Helsinki. When the story begins, Hugo is still a baby and Arsi is eleven years old. By the end, one has become a teenager and the other a young adult. Over the years, the boys share their thoughts and hopes for the future, while juggling balls mark the steady flow of time and the new cityscape of Helsinki develops in the background.
Concept, Execution: Sanna Silvennoinen, Jukka Mantere
Music: Atte Kantonen
Production: Circo Aereo
Nuua Company | “Affairs of the Cities” (Finland, 8 min 26 s)
This short film is based on a scene from the performance “Kulovalkea”. The durational, repetitive juggling choreography with coffee cups was created to depict authoritative figures occupying themselves in apparent activity – yet accomplishing very little. The title draws on the old saying “affairs of the cities”, historically used to refer to politics. Nuua Company is a Finnish contemporary circus and visual theatre group founded in 2013. With its experimental works, Nuua has carved out its position in the international performing arts scene.
Direction: Olli Vuorinen
Featuring: Valpuri Kaarninen, Rosa-Maria Autio, Juho Yrjölä, Merri Heikkilä, Maria Peltola, Jaime Allen, Nelli Kujansivu, Petteri Savikorpi
Cinematography, Editing: Christoffer Collina
Music: Katri Salmenoja
Production: Nuua Company, Sirkum Polaris
Kallo Collective | “NITRO” (Finland, 13 min 58 s)
“NITRO” is a road movie far away from highways and roads. It’s the story of three batshit bonkers friends and their pink convertible half-built house. “NITRO” is a caffeine-packed frenzy of non-verbal performance, reimagining the role of a classic form of storytelling. This joyful, chaotic clownkenstein of a film celebrates the utter splendour of throwing yourself into a task with so much commitment that it destroys any hope of completing it.
Direction: Christoffer Collina, Sampo Kurppa
Screenplay: Sampo Kurppa
Cinematography, Editing: Christoffer Collina
Music: Sami Tammela
Production: Sari Lakso
Jenny Mansikkasalo | “Vertical Feeling” (Finland, 8 min 28 s)
“Vertical Feeling” is a dream-like short film about what it’s like to grow up climbing the aerial silk. How does vertical suspension feel in the body? How does it affect one’s body image and perhaps even an identity that is still developing? In the film, memories, experiences and imagination blend together. The outlines of the body blur, the silks flow, and the inner child has something to say.
A short film by: Jenny Mansikkasalo
Performing: Jenny Mansikkasalo, Aino Hermansson
Cinematography: Miikkael Christoffer Kukkula
Editing: Miikkael Christoffer Kukkula, Jenny Mansikkasalo
Sound Design: Ville-Matti Koskiniemi
Mat Santa Cruz | “Les fleurs éclosent à l’ombre” (France, 10 min 51 s)
A man who feels lonely tries to rediscover sensations and emotions by putting himself in danger. Between rural romance and cowboy melancholy, dark danger lurks around every corner. Our protagonist seeks out the thrill of danger with almost calculated precision and care. Time passes, and one poetically staged knife throw and balancing act follows another. The game with his own vulnerability takes its course, and danger becomes our lonely hero’s companion.
Direction: Mat Santa Cruz
1st Assistance: Maud Peyrache
Starring: Marc Oosterhoff
Acting for Climate Montréal | “Branché” (Canada, 15 min 55 s)
“Branché” is a unique exploration of circus and movement arts withafemale drive. The short film traverses time and natural landscapes in Quebec. It is a poetic exploration of the beauty and potential of people working in harmony with nature, as well as the more threatening and chaotic conflicts of the climate crisis. As dwindling resources and habitable land bring about an existential collapse, the daring acrobatic formations and breathtaking falls remind us that the unity of nature and humanity is truly worth preserving.
Direction: Janique L Robillard, Eric Bates
Acrobatic Director, Editing: Nathan Biggs-Penton
Co-Creation: Acting for Climate Montréal, Cirque Barcode
Director of Photography: Kes Tagney
Musical Composition and Recording: Olivier Landry-Gagnon
Co-Creation: Acting for Climate Montréal, Cirque Barcode
Highline on screen
During the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów, there will also be a screening of films selected for the UHF Official Film Selection competition. The programme will feature productions showcasing both athletic achievements and personal stories of people involved in highlining. The screening is organised in cooperation with Firmament Foundation. More information coming soon.
Details
24 lipca 2026 (piątek), godz. 13:30 | Warsztaty Kultury, Grodzka 5a – sala widowiskowa
25 lipca 2026 (sobota), godz. 13:30 | Warsztaty Kultury, Grodzka 5a – sala widowiskowa
About the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów is the largest festival in Poland showcasing contemporary circus arts. For years the event has attracted crowds of residents and tourists to the city. They are drawn not only by world-class circus performances, but also by the magical atmosphere of the festival. The program includes clowning, acrobatics, juggling, and illusion shows presented as engaging circus performances, as well as attractions for children and concerts. It is the most performatively diverse festival in the country. In addition, the Carnaval is accompanied by the Urban Highline Festival—the oldest and largest highline festival in the world held in an urban space. Most of the festival program is free of charge and takes place in streets, squares, and public spaces. Some events are ticketed and can be seen in theatres and performance halls.
Details
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
July 23–26, 2026
Lublin
Admission free. Selected events are ticketed.
More information about the festival can be found on the website carnavallublin.eu.
Organizers of Carnaval Sztukmistrzów: the Workshops of Culture in Lublin, the City of Lublin
Honorary Patronage of the event is held by Krzysztof Żuk – Mayor of Lublin
Media patrons: TVP Kultura, Radio Nowy Świat, Wyborcza.pl, TVP3 Lublin, Radio Lublin, Kultura Enter, Onet
Partners: Firmament, Institut Français, Centre for Culture in Lublin, Circus Dance Festival, Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council
Sponsors: Perła – Browary Lubelskie S.A., Bogdanka S.A.
Published: 9 July 2026
Circus & Film | short film screening
About
The Carnaval Sztukmistrzów (July 23-26, 2026, Lublin) is not only about performances and street shows, but also about encounters with circus art on screen. As part of the Circus & Film project, we invite you to a unique selection of films that present contemporary circus from a completely new perspective.
What does Circus look like on the big screen? The Circus & Film network, initiated by the CircusDanceFestival, explores circus through the camera lens and creates visibility for international circus filmmakers.
Since its foundation, in collaboration with numerous international festivals, a jury has been reviewing submissions to an open call every year and looking for circus forms on screen with distinctive cinematic approaches. The selected films premiere at the CircusDanceFestival in Cologne and then tour international partner festivals: Short Waves Festival (PL), Circus City Bristol (UK), Moovy Tanzfilm Festival Köln (DE), Dynamo Workspace and OFF -Odense International Film Festival (DK),Dinamico Festival (IT), Flic Circus School(IT), Cirkus Kolektiv (HR). This year, they will also be available to watch during the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów.
The programme will include stories about the passage of time, memory and the transformation of the body, the relationship between humans and nature, as well as the boundaries between risk, movement and emotion. The protagonists of these films juggle, balance, climb and travel through spaces – both real and imagined.
It will be a symbolic journey through the various faces of contemporary circus: from documentary observations of life and growing up, through dreamlike and poetic depictions of the body, to humour, absurdity and experimentation inspired by performance art.
Every day, all short films will be available to watch in a one-hour screening block.
Details
July 24, 2026 (Friday), 12:00-13:00 | Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
July 25, 2026 (Saturday), 12:00-13:00 | Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
July 26, 2026 (Sunday), 12:00-13:00 | Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
About films
Lehmann/Pels | “Urban Club Art” (Germany, 2 min)
The film “Urban Club Art” is an experimental image/sound montage that works with objects and places, reassembling them into new visual constellations. Inspired by Fluxus ideas, a series of subtle image compositions, absurd installations and witty montages unfold. A juggling club moves through public space, always on the jump from one GPS coordinate to the next. It’s a special kind of sightseeing tour of Cologne. The finale presents a visionary reimagining of the Cologne skyline – from a circus perspective.
Circo Aereo | “Lähde” (“Fountain”) (Finland, 17 min)
“Lähde” is a coming-of-age documentary filmed over twelve years on a bridge in Helsinki. When the story begins, Hugo is still a baby and Arsi is eleven years old. By the end, one has become a teenager and the other a young adult. Over the years, the boys share their thoughts and hopes for the future, while juggling balls mark the steady flow of time and the new cityscape of Helsinki develops in the background.
Concept, Execution: Sanna Silvennoinen, Jukka Mantere
Music: Atte Kantonen
Production: Circo Aereo
Nuua Company | “Affairs of the Cities” (Finland, 8 min 26 s)
This short film is based on a scene from the performance “Kulovalkea”. The durational, repetitive juggling choreography with coffee cups was created to depict authoritative figures occupying themselves in apparent activity – yet accomplishing very little. The title draws on the old saying “affairs of the cities”, historically used to refer to politics. Nuua Company is a Finnish contemporary circus and visual theatre group founded in 2013. With its experimental works, Nuua has carved out its position in the international performing arts scene.
Direction: Olli Vuorinen
Featuring: Valpuri Kaarninen, Rosa-Maria Autio, Juho Yrjölä, Merri Heikkilä, Maria Peltola, Jaime Allen, Nelli Kujansivu, Petteri Savikorpi
Cinematography, Editing: Christoffer Collina
Music: Katri Salmenoja
Production: Nuua Company, Sirkum Polaris
Kallo Collective | “NITRO” (Finland, 13 min 58 s)
“NITRO” is a road movie far away from highways and roads. It’s the story of three batshit bonkers friends and their pink convertible half-built house. “NITRO” is a caffeine-packed frenzy of non-verbal performance, reimagining the role of a classic form of storytelling. This joyful, chaotic clownkenstein of a film celebrates the utter splendour of throwing yourself into a task with so much commitment that it destroys any hope of completing it.
Direction: Christoffer Collina, Sampo Kurppa
Screenplay: Sampo Kurppa
Cinematography, Editing: Christoffer Collina
Music: Sami Tammela
Production: Sari Lakso
Jenny Mansikkasalo | “Vertical Feeling” (Finland, 8 min 28 s)
“Vertical Feeling” is a dream-like short film about what it’s like to grow up climbing the aerial silk. How does vertical suspension feel in the body? How does it affect one’s body image and perhaps even an identity that is still developing? In the film, memories, experiences and imagination blend together. The outlines of the body blur, the silks flow, and the inner child has something to say.
A short film by: Jenny Mansikkasalo
Performing: Jenny Mansikkasalo, Aino Hermansson
Cinematography: Miikkael Christoffer Kukkula
Editing: Miikkael Christoffer Kukkula, Jenny Mansikkasalo
Sound Design: Ville-Matti Koskiniemi
Mat Santa Cruz | “Les fleurs éclosent à l’ombre” (France, 10 min 51 s)
A man who feels lonely tries to rediscover sensations and emotions by putting himself in danger. Between rural romance and cowboy melancholy, dark danger lurks around every corner. Our protagonist seeks out the thrill of danger with almost calculated precision and care. Time passes, and one poetically staged knife throw and balancing act follows another. The game with his own vulnerability takes its course, and danger becomes our lonely hero’s companion.
Direction: Mat Santa Cruz
1st Assistance: Maud Peyrache
Starring: Marc Oosterhoff
Acting for Climate Montréal | “Branché” (Canada, 15 min 55 s)
“Branché” is a unique exploration of circus and movement arts withafemale drive. The short film traverses time and natural landscapes in Quebec. It is a poetic exploration of the beauty and potential of people working in harmony with nature, as well as the more threatening and chaotic conflicts of the climate crisis. As dwindling resources and habitable land bring about an existential collapse, the daring acrobatic formations and breathtaking falls remind us that the unity of nature and humanity is truly worth preserving.
Direction: Janique L Robillard, Eric Bates
Acrobatic Director, Editing: Nathan Biggs-Penton
Co-Creation: Acting for Climate Montréal, Cirque Barcode
Director of Photography: Kes Tagney
Musical Composition and Recording: Olivier Landry-Gagnon
Co-Creation: Acting for Climate Montréal, Cirque Barcode
Highline on screen
During the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów, there will also be a screening of films selected for the UHF Official Film Selection competition. The programme will feature productions showcasing both athletic achievements and personal stories of people involved in highlining. The screening is organised in cooperation with Firmament Foundation. More information coming soon.
Details
24 lipca 2026 (piątek), godz. 13:30 | Warsztaty Kultury, Grodzka 5a – sala widowiskowa
25 lipca 2026 (sobota), godz. 13:30 | Warsztaty Kultury, Grodzka 5a – sala widowiskowa
About the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów is the largest festival in Poland showcasing contemporary circus arts. For years the event has attracted crowds of residents and tourists to the city. They are drawn not only by world-class circus performances, but also by the magical atmosphere of the festival. The program includes clowning, acrobatics, juggling, and illusion shows presented as engaging circus performances, as well as attractions for children and concerts. It is the most performatively diverse festival in the country. In addition, the Carnaval is accompanied by the Urban Highline Festival—the oldest and largest highline festival in the world held in an urban space. Most of the festival program is free of charge and takes place in streets, squares, and public spaces. Some events are ticketed and can be seen in theatres and performance halls.
Details
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
July 23–26, 2026
Lublin
Admission free. Selected events are ticketed.
More information about the festival can be found on the website carnavallublin.eu.
Organizers of Carnaval Sztukmistrzów: the Workshops of Culture in Lublin, the City of Lublin
Honorary Patronage of the event is held by Krzysztof Żuk – Mayor of Lublin
Media patrons: TVP Kultura, Radio Nowy Świat, Wyborcza.pl, TVP3 Lublin, Radio Lublin, Kultura Enter, Onet
Partners: Firmament, Institut Français, Centre for Culture in Lublin, Circus Dance Festival, Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council
Sponsors: Perła – Browary Lubelskie S.A., Bogdanka S.A.
