Premiere of the documentary film “Estuary”: winter swimming against an Arctic backdrop

On June 24, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., the official premiere of the documentary film Estuary, directed by Tomasz Woźniczka, will take place at Światowid Cinema in Katowice. Its central figure is Leszek Naziemiec, one of the pioneers of wild and winter swimming in Poland, whose articles frequently appear in Wodne Sprawy.

Estuary – literally and metaphorically

The film’s title refers both to the actual place where a river meets the sea, a space where different currents merge into a single whole, and to the life journey of its protagonist. Estuary is a story about a man whose experiences, passions, and quests find their symbolic culmination in closeness to nature, contemplation, and the pursuit of transcendence. It is a reflection on the search for a place where a person can feel part of something greater.

The protagonist of the film is Leszek Naziemiec, a physiotherapist, psychologist, movement therapist, traveler, writer, and poet. His life is filled with constant exploration, activity, and encounters with people. For years, he has followed his own path, finding in nature not only adventure but also a deeper dimension of human experience. Water, rivers, lakes, and the sea become for him spaces of freedom, reflection, and pushing beyond limits.

Winter swimming through the camera lens

As Leszek Naziemiec told Wodne Sprawy in February last year, his passion for swimming in water temperatures not exceeding 5°C developed gradually. It began with open-water competitions in the Czech Republic and building resistance to cold, followed by an expedition to Svalbard in 2017. It was the photographic account of his one-mile swim in polar conditions that inspired Tomasz Woźniczka to take a closer look at Leszek’s story and the challenges he undertook.

The film crew spent several years gathering material for the documentary, filming in many different locations, from a frozen pond in the center of Katowice to the wild Yukon River in Alaska. Footage from these remarkable places can be watched almost without any commentary, says Leszek Naziemiec.

Information about the film

The film’s director, Tomasz Woźniczka, was born in 1979 in Siemianowice Śląskie. He is a filmmaker, university lecturer, and cinematographer of numerous documentary and feature films, including Bread and Salt, Glorious Summer, and Daughters of Coal. For his work, he has received distinctions such as the Golden Tadpole Award and a scholarship from the Young Poland program. In 2023, he was nominated for the Polish Film Award Eagles for his cinematography in Bread and Salt. Estuary is his documentary debut, for which he served as both director and cinematographer.

The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and Silesia Film.

During the Silesian premiere of Estuary, which will take place on June 24, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at Światowid Cinema in Katowice, audiences will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the filmmakers: Leszek Naziemiec, Tomasz Woźniczka, producer Agata Sikora, and other members of the production team.

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main photo: Piotr Sadurski