VerhoEVEN BETTER. GET YOUR PASS FOR THE ARS INDEPENDENT FESTIVAL

Traditionally and somewhat perversely, on the feast of lovers, we celebrate our love of art and invite you to treat yourself to some cinematic – and not only cinematic – pleasure by purchasing a pass for this year's Ars Independent Festival. For the impatient and undecided, we have great news that will help you make your festival decisions: this year, Ars will feature a retrospective of Paul Verhoeven, creator of, among others, “Basic Instinct,” “Elle,” and... “RoboCop.”

On February 14, the first passes for this year's Ars Independent Festival went on sale. For the first time, the festival will run for 10 days, from October 2 to11, 2026, in Katowice. As usual, there are two options to choose from. For those who follow the principle of “the sooner the better” and take the festival program sight unseen, we have the Blind Horse pass. Viewers who have a special fondness for the event can choose the Black Horse option, a special Patron Pass with festival bonuses.

Until June 10, you can purchase a Basic Blind Horse Pass for PLN 140 (PLN 112 with the Katowice Resident Card). The basic pass includes: an ID card entitling you to participate in all screenings and festival events (except for the special Film and Dinner event) and promotional materials of the Festival. Once again, a special Patron Pass, or Black Horse, will be available for all those who want to support the Festival. The price of the Black Horse pass is PLN 280, and in addition to the contents of the basic package and the satisfaction of being a Patron of the Festival, you will also receive a special gadget with the Festival logo and admission to the Film and Dinner event. The number of passes is limited.

Passes can be purchased at the Światowid Cinema box office, on the Festival website, and on the Światowid Cinema website.

Those who prefer to wait before making a decision will have the opportunity to purchase passes at a later date: the basic Early Horse pass (PLN 160/PLN 128 with the Katowice Resident Card) will be available for purchase from June 11 until the announcement of the full Festival program, and the Regular Horse pass (PLN 190/PLN 152 with the Katowice Resident Card) will be available from the day the festival program is announced until October 11.

The Ars Independent Festival has been around since 2011, and since 2024, it has been organized jointly by the cultural institution Katowice Miasto Ogrodów and the Silesia Film Institution in Katowice.

This year's Ars Independent Festival will take place from October 2 to 11. The organizers invite you to film screenings and events at Katowice cinemas: Kino Światowid and Kinoteatr Rialto, as well as at venues: Piąty Dom and Drzwi Zwane Koniem.

The festival will feature four program sections: film, animation, video games, and music videos. There will also be special events, including Paul Verhoeven retrospective, concerts, and discussions with filmmakers.