“Three Chants”. In search of one’s own voice

Krzysztof Nowicki’s film Three Chants is not a conventional music documentary – although music plays a crucial role in it. Here, singing becomes a way of building relationships and creating a shared emotional experience.

Singing as a way of being together

No musical experience is required to join this community choir. Anyone can take part, regardless of age, profession or vocal ability. In a way, it is a return to one of the most primal functions of singing: bringing people together to express emotions through music. By singing out their own stories, the choir members try to break a streak of bad luck and find comfort in connecting with others. It is no coincidence that one of the festival award citations for Three Songs states that the human voice singing in unison is the most beautiful instrument in the world.

Everyone has their own song

Among the choir members featured in Three Chants are Laura, an artist living with a congenital brittle bone condition, and her ever-present mother, Małgosia; Kamil, an irrepressible optimist who manages to keep his spirits up despite life’s difficulties; and Przemek, who is trying to find his footing after a divorce and the loss of everyday contact with his children.

Krzysztof Nowicki portrays them with sensitivity and empathy, presenting the community as a space that helps people cope with loneliness and personal crises. The jury of the Młodzi i Film festival praised the director’s “tender gaze” and his ability to listen closely to the individual voice of each protagonist. At the same time, Three Chants avoids the trap of sentimentality. The film shows how art can become a form of support and a way of building community, without resorting to simplistic moralising.

Krzysztof Nowicki and his protagonists

Krzysztof Nowicki is a Bydgoszcz-based director, cinematographer, screenwriter and producer, and a graduate of the Łódź Film School. His work focuses on people and their everyday lives. His previous films include the short documentaries Leokadia’s Dream (Audience Award at the Planet Film Festival in Barcelona), There Used to Be a Cinema Here, Swimming Pool and The Oldest Man in the World. Three Chants is his feature-length debut. Produced by the Bydgoszcz-based KolorOFFon Association, the film premiered in June 2026.

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Tickets for individual screenings are available at the box office of the Municipal Cultural Centre (Miejskie Centrum Kultury),
12 Marcinkowskiego St., Bydgoszcz

Festival pass for the entire FONOMO festival