The Altar Boys
Ministranci
- Poland
- 2025
- 110'
- From Poland
Frustrated with the indifference of adults and the Church being oblivious to social inequities, a group of teenage altar boys devise their own unique plan to ensure moral revival. Driven by the defiance teenagers know so well and following their own interpretation of the Bible, they install a bug in the confessional to learn more about their neighbours. They wear masks on their faces and dream to be just like Robin Hood, turning themselves into self-proclaimed judges in their own local neighbourhood. They help those in need and determine penalties for sins, following their own quixotic code of honour. It does not take long before their crusade spins out of control and becomes a dangerous game, in which the borderline between good and evil gets thinner and thinner. This creates a mix in which the reality of a concrete block estate blends with the imaginative minds of our superheroes straight from comic books, and surplices replace the traditional cloaks. The film ‘The Altar Boys’ is a story about growing up, faith, and a struggle against hypocrisy. Filled with humour and energy, it becomes a modern take on youthful rebellion and moral dilemmas.
- Directed by: Piotr Domalewski
- Screenplay: Piotr Domalewski
- Photography: Piotr Sobociński Jr.
- Editing: Agnieszka Glińska
- Production Design: Jagna Dobesz
- Costume Design: Aleksandra Staszko
- Makeup: Daria Siejak
- Music: Wojciech Urbański
- Sound Engineering: Jerzy Murawski, Wojciech Mielimąka
- Producers: Leszek Bodzak, Aneta Hickinbotham, Piotr Walter, Jarosław Jakubiec
- Production: Aurum Film
- Cast: Tobiasz Wajda, Bruno Błach-Baar, Mikołaj Juszczyk, Filip Juszczyk, Daria Kalinchuk, Kamila Urzędowska, Tomasz Schuchardt, Sławomir Orzechowski, Artur Paczesny
A film director, screenwriter, and filmmaker from Poland. Since 2010, he has made between ten and twenty short film exercises and short films screened at various film festivals in Poland and abroad. He has written theatre plays and film scripts, including the project ‘Zbliżenie’ recognised by the Polish Film Institute commission and included in the Screenplay Scholarship programme for 2015. The script for the film ‘60 kilo niczego / 60 Kilos of Nothing’ was created as part of the ‘30 Minutes’ programme curated by Studio Munka. His theatre play ‘Pięć metrów kwadratowych / Five Square Metres’ won the Audience Award in the drama competition ‘Metafory Rzeczywistości’ (Metaphors of Reality), and the play ‘Cisza / Silence’ was created for the Television Theatre. He was the author of the concept for the film series ‘Bezwstydni’ qualified for the Canal+ Series Lab programme. In 2014, he worked as an assistant director for ‘Demon’ directed by Marcin Wrona, and for various theatre plays. In 2016, he directed the theatre play ‘Być jak Beata / Be like Beata.’ In 2017, he made his full-length début film ‘Cicha noc / Silent Night’ winning the Grand Prix Award at Gdynia Film Festival.
- 2025 – Ministranci / The Altar Boys
- 2025 – Wzgórze psów / Hound’s Hill
- 2021 – Hiacynt / Operation Hyacinth (directing)
- 2017 – Cicha noc / Silent Night
