{{ mainName }}

{{ newsTitle }} {{ newsVisible ? '✦' : '✧'}}

    • New Talents Open Call 2025
      As the only competitive program at ENFF, the New Talents Competition invites filmmakers or artists with their first, second or third short film, to compete for an Audience Award. Submit your film till 21 August 2025.
    • On Tour: Chajdas’s Imago at Cavia, Amsterdam
      ENFF lands in Cavia, Amsterdam for the first time! On Friday 28 February, we screen the post-punk psychological drama Imago by Polish director Olga Chajdas.
    • NTC Award Ceremony
      New Talent Competition gives young filmmakers from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe the opportunity to present their outstanding debut or second film to the public. Join us on Sunday 1 December at 19h
    • Music at ENFF
      The Eastern Neighbours Film Festival welcomes special musical guests each year to enrich our program. For this 16th edition, we’re thrilled to present two talented young musicians: guitarist Antonio Peršak (CR) and violinist İdil Yunkuş (TR). Together, they will perform a traditional Balkan dance and folk song, highlighting the beauty of this music through the… Read more: Music at ENFF

Unconditional Love

DirectorRafal Lysak
ProducerProdukcja Filmow Jacek Blawut
WriterRafal Lysak
EditorPiotr Wojcik
CameraMichal Luka, Zofia Dabrowska, Rafal Lysak
SoundRafal Lysak, Piotr Pliszka
ScreeningSaturday 9 November | 15:00 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag
Saturday 9 November | 16:30 hours | Theater en Filmhuis Dakota
Sunday 10 November | 16:30 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag
Original TitleMILOSC BEZWARUNKOWA
Year2018
Length40 min
CountryPoland
SubtitlesEnglish
SectionDocumentaries Open Debates / Talents from the East

A grandma and her gay grandson trying to find the way towards mutual acceptance and unconditional love in this very honest, personal story full of emotions and humor.

Synopsis

Is understanding between a deeply religious 80-year-old woman and her gay grandson possible? Are they able to overcome their beliefs in the name of love? A compelling documentary and intimate journey of the director Rafal, who was raised by his grandmother Teresa and treated her as a second mother. She has invested all her love and hope in him until he told her about his homosexuality. The news broke her heart. She sees no other way of life for the young man than marrying a woman.

Festivals & Awards (selection)

Krakow Film Festival, 2018 – Golden Hobby-Horse for Best Film in Polish Competition | IDFA, 2018 – International Premiere | One World International Human Rights DFF, Czech Republic 2019 | Neisse Film Festival, Germany 2019 – Best Documentary | Istanbul Documentary Days, 2019 | Molodist, Kyiv International Film Festival, 2019 – Best Short Film, Audience Award, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury | Gdansk DocFilm Festival, 2019 – Audience Award | Rudnik International Film Festival, Russia 2019 – Best Short Film

Director’s statement

It was probably the first time in my life when I felt I had to fight for something and it was kind of a fight with my grandma, a fight for this approval. Although I believe that you can’t change a person, especially at that age, my grandma proves that sometimes it’s worth fighting for approval, a compromise, at least… Somebody said that before we start fighting for peace in the world, we should try to have this kind of peace around our family table.