Documentary Film Guide

Documentary Film Education Guide is a highly practical and accessible tool prepared by the Andrzej Wajda Centre for Film Culture to accompany the LET’S DOC Documentary Film Festival for Young Audiences. It was authored by Anna Równy, a film educator and trainer in film education, and a doctoral graduate from the Department of Film Knowledge and Audiovisual Culture at the University of Gdańsk.

All films featured in the toolkit are available for free on VOD Warszawa. We invite you to create an account and make use of the educational resources available there.

Documentary films enable us to observe the world around us more attentively – in its true shapes and colors, without manipulation or distortions. From our experience, they are also highly effective tools for educational work and provide a pretext for discussing important topics such as family and peer relationships, cultural stereotypes, challenges related to disabilities, migration, and the climate crisis.

The films selected for the guide include both Polish and international productions. They tell stories of vivid characters, such as Giovanni, the only boy in school practicing synchronized swimming, and Anne, who despite having Tourette syndrome, experiences the same emotions as other children. These films are accompanied by beautiful, refined cinematography, and most importantly, promote mindfulness and empathy towards others.