“Winter of the Crow” is Kasia Adamik’s thriller based on a short story by Olga Tokarczuk. Lesley Manville plays a British professor visiting Poland in 1981 who is swept up in dangerous events as martial law begins. It opens in U.S. theaters on October 9, 2026.
What the film is about
Joan Andrews, a professor from Britain, travels to Poland in late 1981. She arrives in Warsaw just as the communist authorities declare martial law. With borders closed, phone lines cut and soldiers in the streets, an ordinary academic trip turns into a struggle to get home. The U.S. distributor describes it as the story of a woman “suddenly swept up in extraordinary and dangerous events at the onset of the country’s Martial Law era.”
For many Poland.us readers, this is more than a movie. December 1981 is a memory from their own lives, and for many families it marked the beginning of the road to emigration, including to America.
Tokarczuk, Adamik and an international cast
The screenplay by Sandra Buchta is adapted from a short story by Nobel Prize–winning author Olga Tokarczuk. Kasia Adamik directs the film. Agnieszka Holland, the director’s mother, is an executive producer. British actress Lesley Manville leads the cast, alongside Zofia Wichłacz, Andrzej Konopka, and Tom Burke.
The film is a Polish, Luxembourgish and British co-production in English and Polish, with a running time of 112 minutes. It had its world premiere on September 6, 2025, in the Platform program of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Where and when to see it
The U.S. theatrical release is Friday, October 9, 2026, through Cohen Media Group. On opening day the film plays at theaters including Quad Cinema in New York, Glen Art Theatre in Glen Ellyn near Chicago and Landmark Pasadena in the Los Angeles area. More theaters are being added, and the current list is on the Cohen Media Group film page.
Win tickets to “Winter of the Crow”
Together with Cohen Media Group, we’re giving away 5 pairs of tickets in each of three cities: New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Tickets are good for any showtime on opening weekend, Friday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11, at Quad Cinema (New York), Glen Art Theatre (Glen Ellyn, Chicago area) and Landmark Pasadena (Los Angeles area).
How to enter:
- fill out the form below by Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time,
- enter your name exactly as it appears on your ID – tickets will be held at the box office under your name,
- winners will be drawn on October 7 and notified by email or phone.
We’ll announce the winners’ first names and last initials on our Facebook and Instagram. By entering, you subscribe to the free Poland.us newsletter, with news about Polish-American life and future giveaways. You can unsubscribe at any time.
No purchase necessary. Prizes courtesy of Cohen Media Group. Official Rules
This article was produced in partnership with the film’s distributor, Cohen Media Group.
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Based on materials from Cohen Media Group and festival information.
