Polish Film Festival Sydney 2025 I MINGHUN

MINGHUN

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

MINGHUN

drama I 2024 I Poland

Original Title: MINGHUN

Duration: 94 min

Language: English, Polish and Chinese with English

subtitles

Director: Jan P. Matuszyński

Cast: Marcin Dorocinski, Daxing Zhang,

Natalia Bui, Ewelina Starejki, Wiktoria

Gorodecka, Grazyna Sobocinska,

Fenfen Huang, Kwong Loke

Blending quiet humour, emotional depth, and cultural insight, MINGHUN is a moving cross-cultural journey through love, loss, and the bonds that transcend borders — and death. Starring one of Poland’s most popular actors, Marcin Dorociński, known internationally from Netflix’s „Queens Gambit”, „Vikings: Valhalla” and Tom Cruise blockbuster „Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning”, it’s a powerful reminder that family ties can bridge even the greatest of distances.

Following the sudden death of his daughter, Polish father Jurek (Marcin Dorociński) joins his Chinese father-in-law Ben (Daxing Zhang) in performing the ancient ritual of minghun - a posthumous wedding meant to ensure his daughter won’t be alone in the afterlife. Initially resistant to the idea, Jurek is slowly drawn into an unexpected journey across cultures and generations as the two men search for a suitable “ghost groom.” What begins as a bizarre and painful task evolves into a touching exploration of love, memory, and the mysteries of those we think we know best. As Jurek and Ben navigate cultural clashes, absurd encounters, and long-buried grief, they begin to see each other — and their daughter — in a new light.

JAN P. MATUSZYŃSKI

Polish film director and screenwriter renowned for his compelling biographical and historical narratives. He graduated in Film and Television Directing from the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia in Katowice and completed the DOK PRO Documentary Programme at the Wajda School in Warsaw. Matuszyński's feature-length debut, "The Last Family" (Ostatnia rodzina, PFF 2016), is a biographical drama portraying the lives of painter Zdzisław Beksiński and his family. The film premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival, where Andrzej Seweryn received the Best Actor award. It garnered multiple accolades, including the Golden Lions for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Audience Award, and Press Award at the 41st Gdynia Film Festival. In 2021, Matuszyński directed "Leave No Traces" (Żeby nie było śladów, PFF 2022), a political drama based on the true story of Grzegorz Przemyk, a high school student beaten to death by communist police in 1983. The film was selected for the main competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival and was Poland's submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. Matuszyński has also directed several acclaimed television series, including "The Border" (Wataha), "Illegals" (Nielegalni), and "The King of Warsaw" (Król), an adaptation of Szczepan Twardoch’s novel.