Maria Wróbel

She hails from Nieporęt, just outside Warsaw. In 2025, she graduated from the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow and, that same year, began collaborating with Teatr Wybrzeże in Gdańsk, where she appeared in productions including “Nosferatu”, directed by Mariusz Grzegorzek. While still a student, she made her stage debut in “Doctor Dolittle”, directed by Maćko Prusak, as well as her screen debut in “Lesson Plan”, directed by Daniel Markowicz. However, a real turning point in her career came with the short film “I Saw the Face of the Devil”, directed by Julia Kowalski, in which she played the lead role.

The film received recognition at numerous festivals around the world, with the highlight of its international festival run being its selection for the Quinzaine des Cinéastes at the 76th Festival de Cannes. Later that same year, in 2023, she appeared in Korek Bojanowski’s feature debut “Loss of Balance”, which was selected for the Main Competition of the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia the following year and was also warmly received by audiences in Poland and abroad. Her collaboration with Julia Kowalski did not end with “I Saw the Face of the Devil”. Maria Wróbel went on to play the lead role in Kowalski’s second feature, “Her Will Be Done”, which premiered in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes at the 78th Festival de Cannes in 2025. The film was subsequently presented at numerous other festivals in Poland and around the world, including the New Horizons International Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, and the Torino Film Festival, where Maria received the award for Best Performance.

The role once again turned her career (and, as it happens, her life) upside down. Alongside the many complex processes involved in preparing for the role of Nawojka, which she and Julia Kowalski will discuss during a Q&A following the screening at Splat!FilmFest, Maria also had to learn French. This new skill gave her the opportunity to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris and to appear in several other French productions. For now, she cannot reveal much, but if you remember her name, you will be able to look out for her in French releases coming next year (and be like Leonardo DiCaprio in that meme where he spots someone on television and jumps up from the couch).