Spektrum 2026 Theme and Visual Identity Explore the Nature of Truth

The 12th edition of the Spektrum Film Festival will be held under the theme STAGING THE TRUTH.

STAGING THE TRUTH – The Many Faces of Truth

Nothing in cinema happens by accident. Someone chooses where to place the camera, decides how the light falls, writes every line of dialogue, and determines the exact moment when two characters will meet. Yet it is within this carefully staged reality that we so often encounter something profoundly true.

This year’s festival theme can be understood in many ways – as performing, constructing, or questioning the truth. Truth is rarely fixed or absolute. More often, it emerges from different perspectives, experiences, and interpretations, says Paweł Kosuń, Artistic Director of the Spektrum Film Festival.

Everyone sitting in a cinema watches the same film, yet each person leaves with their own story. Cinema does not provide ready-made answers – it invites us to ask questions.

The Story Hidden in the Frame

This year’s festival visual identity tells a story that could easily become a film in its own right. At first glance, Tommi Viitala’s photograph shows a couple in love taking a walk. We instinctively begin to imagine their story – perhaps it is their first date, perhaps their last meeting before saying goodbye forever, or perhaps it is simply a moment onto which we project our own meaning.

The real story behind the photograph, however, turned out to be even more remarkable. During a visit to Vienna, the Finnish photographer happened to capture the couple by chance and later shared the image on social media. Some time afterwards, the people in the photograph got in touch to thank him for preserving such an important moment in their lives. Today they are married, and the photograph captures the first trip they ever took together.

When we decided to feature the photograph in this year’s festival visual identity, the couple shared one more detail of their story – they had actually met in Poland during a student exchange programme. Once again, reality had written a better screenplay than anyone could have imagined.

It is precisely this space between what we see and what ultimately turns out to be true that we invite you to explore with us this year.

Join us for the journey!