Wild, Wild East (Polish: Dziki, dziki wschód) is a 2026 war drama film directed by Jan Holoubek. The film, set in occupied Poland in 1943, follows Martin Wolff, a German official sent to a remote village to investigate the disappearance of a Jewish lawyer.
The film had its world premiere in the Platform section of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on 14 September 2026, where it competed for the Platform Prize.
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Synopsis
In 1943, the small Polish village of Zalesie Małe is tense and afraid under German rule. German officers, local opportunists, and frightened villagers survive by keeping quiet and pretending life is normal. When Martin Wolff, a German officer, arrives to look into the disappearance of a Jewish lawyer, this fragile calm breaks. Whispers about missing papers and hidden treasure revive old grudges. As secrets come out, people’s identities blur and loyalties change, turning the village into a place of betrayal and desperate survival. And Wolff himself carries a secret far more dangerous than any treasure.
Cast
Itay Tiran
Joanna Kulig
Robert Więckiewicz
Jan Bülow
Piotr Trojan
Janusz Chabior
Jacek Beler
Magdalena Różczka
Production
Principal photography began in October 2025 in Poland and Latvia.
The film was shot primarily in Lower Silesia and in and around Wrocław. Filming locations included the historic Evangelical Church in Żeliszów and the palace in Moja Wola, Greater Poland Voivodeship. The film was wrapped up by the end of 2025.
Release
Wild, Wild East had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on 14 September 2026, in the Platform section.
Subsequently it will compete in the Main Competition of the Polish Film Festival on September 21, 2026 in Gdynia.
Global Constellation, a pan-European international film and television sales and financing company, acquired the international sales rights to the film in 2025.