Berlin-based sales outfit Pluto Film has officially acquired worldwide sales rights for Sick. It is the highly anticipated feature directorial debut from Polish filmmaker Agata Trzebuchowska. The news comes ahead of the film’s world premiere at FFantasticFest 2026 in Austin. It will then head to the prestigious European premiere at the Sitges Film Festival in October.
Trzebuchowska, who earned international acclaim in Paweł Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning masterpiece Ida, wrote and directed the atmospheric feature.
Stifling Isolation and Blurring Boundaries in the Countryside
Set against the heavy, oppressive heat of summer, Sick explores the harrowing psychological anxieties of growing up. The story follows sixteen-year-old Maks, played by Konrad Kąkol, and his older sister Emma, portrayed by Katarzyna Łubik. They are sent to the Polish countryside to care for their ailing grandmother. Trapped together in a remote setting, the siblings’ once-close bond begins to shift into something dark and hard to define. As interpersonal tensions rise and emotional boundaries blur, their grandmother’s frail presence takes on an increasingly disturbing quality. Turning a serene rural retreat into a haunting, dangerous passage into adulthood.
The cast of Sick includes Monika Niemczyk, Julian Świeżewski, and Eliza Rycembel, cementing the feature as a powerful showcase for both established and rising Polish talent.
From Oscar-Winning Star to Visionary Indie Auteur
Trzebuchowska’s transition behind the camera follows a string of successful, internationally celebrated short films, including her Sundance debut Heat and the acclaimed short Vacancy. Sick anchors a prolific creative period for the director, who is also currently developing the Polish-French co-production This Is No Place for You and a surreal mockumentary titled Urke.
A Bold Crossover Appeal for Global Audiences
Pluto Film and production company Lumisenta view the upcoming festival run at Fantastic Fest and Sitges as the perfect launchpad for a story that bridges elevated horror with deeply felt human drama. Producers highlighted the film’s uncompromising identity, describing it as a provocative exploration of desire, dependence, and taboo family dynamics. Pluto Film’s leadership praised Trzebuchowska’s ability to build psychological dread through subtle suggestion rather than overt explanation, positioning Sick as an edgy, crossover arthouse entry capable of unsettling and captivating audiences worldwide.
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