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