"Great Warsaw" will compete for the Golden Lions in Gdynia. This is the final part of a gambling trilogy

The film "Wielka Warszawska," which will debut in cinemas on January 23, 2026, is the final installment in the gambling trilogy by Jan Purzycki, the author of "Wielki Szu" and "Football Poker." A teaser for this production set in the world of 1990s horse racing was released on Tuesday.

"The Great Warsaw Race" is the story of a young jockey (played by Tomasz Ziętek , known from films such as "Corpus Christi," "Hiacynt," and "Let There Be No Traces" ) who dreams of a sporting career. The crowning achievement of these dreams is participation in the most important race in Poland – the Great Warsaw Race. The protagonist naively believes that in horse racing, the best man wins. Only after some time does he discover that this environment is rife with corruption and foul play, and that the races are a web of dependencies, powerful interests, and manipulation of results. Will he emerge unscathed?

The film is directed by Bartłomiej Ignaciuk (TV series "Pati," "Wielka Woda," "Usta usta," the film "Podatki od miłości"). Ignaciuk also adapted the script, which was first written during the communist era in the 1980s. It was written by Jan Purzycki , screenwriter of "Piłkarski poker" and "Wielki Szu." "Wielka Warszawska" was intended to conclude the trilogy.

However, in the 1980s, the authorities at the time prevented the film from being made, fearing it could discredit the State Horse Racing. The horse racing community, which met in Warsaw's Służewiec district during the communist era , was a unique microcosm where, alongside ordinary people and equestrian enthusiasts, one could encounter representatives of private initiatives, diplomats, party dignitaries, writers (crime novelist Joanna Chmielewska was a huge fan of racing), money changers, and even secret police officers. Some lost fortunes, others made fortunes.

Just before his death in 2019, Jan Purzycki handed the script over to Tadeusz Lampka , then president of MTL MaxFilm. Then, at MaxFilm's request, Ignaciuk adapted the script and set the action in the early 1990s.

Ignaciuk added that he was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to direct "Wielka Warszawska" (Great Warsaw Race), as the subject of racing is very close to his heart.

" I had contact with Służewiec in the mid-1990s . (...) My presence then had a very personal context. I was simply in a relationship with a great horse lover, a jockey, with whom we would come here from Sopot for races. We would park our car in front of the stable to watch her horse. (...) It was incredibly impressive to see the diverse cast of characters that made up the racing audience. A variety of personalities permeated this noble venue," recalled Ignaciuk.

An organizational challenge for the creators of "Wielka Warszawska" (The Great Warsaw Racecourse) was that the main set was the Służewiec Racecourse. While this legendary location has appeared in films before, these were only brief shots (e.g., "Wielki Szu" (The Great Shout) and "The Career of Nikodem Dyzma"). "Wielka Warszawska" is the first Polish feature film to feature the majority of its filming at this facility.

"Filming in Służewiec is a huge challenge because it's a constantly operating institution. Events are constantly taking place here. And for filming, the location has to be adapted, including in terms of set design. We're telling a story from thirty-something years ago, and the world has changed. I'm glad we managed to capture the remains of old Służewiec at the last minute," said Ignaciuk.

In "Wielka Warszawska," alongside Tomasz Ziętek, we also see Mary Pawłowska, Marcin Bosak, Agnieszka Żulewska, and Tomasz Kot . The film will hit theaters on January 23, 2026. At the end of September, it will compete for the Golden Lions at the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia.