SICK to Make World Premiere at Fantastic Fest
The film stars Konrad Kąkol and Katarzyna Łubik in Trzebuchowska's first feature after her acclaimed role in IDA.
PLUTO FILM announced that it has picked up worldwide sales rights for Agata Trzebuchowska's SICK ahead of the film's World Premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026 in September, followed by the European Premiere at the prestigious Sitges Film Festival in October.
An atmospheric and unsettling film about the horrors of growing up, SICK is directed and written by Agata Trzebuchowska (IDA) in her feature film debut, produced by Patryk Sielecki and Adrianna Rędzia and stars Konrad Kąkol, Katarzyna Łubik, Monika Niemczyk, Julian Świeżewski, and Eliza Rycembel.
During the summer holidays, sixteen-year-old Maks (Konrad Kąkol) and his older sister Emma (Katarzyna Łubik) are sent to the Polish countryside to care for their ailing grandmother. Trapped together in the heavy, stifling isolation of the summer heat, the siblings' bond begins to shift into something unsettling and difficult to define. As tensions rise and boundaries begin to blur, their grandmother's frail presence takes on an increasingly disturbing quality, turning a once-idyllic summer into a haunting passage into adulthood.
Agata Trzebuchowska is a director and screenwriter. She first gained international recognition for her lead role in IDA, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and earned her an EFA nomination. Her short film debut, HEAT, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Her subsequent short, VACANCY, screened at top festivals across the world including Go Short and Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival. In addition to her feature-length debut SICK, she is currently in pre-production on THIS IS NO PLACE FOR YOU, a Polish-French co-production and URKE, a surreal mockumentary co-written with Mateusz Kłodecki.
'We are very happy that SICK has found its home at Pluto Film. From our first conversations, we felt that they understood both the film's provocative nature and the tenderness hidden beneath its genre elements. The world premiere at Fantastic Fest and the European premiere at Sitges are an exciting beginning for the film, bringing it to audiences open to bold and unconventional stories. At the same time, we believe SICK can resonate beyond the genre circuit, as it is ultimately a deeply emotional story about adolescence, desire and dependence, centered on a relationship that crosses every possible boundary. Together with Pluto Film, we hope to preserve the film's uncompromising identity while helping it reach audiences around the world. We are excited to see where this journey takes us,' commented Producer Patryk Sielecki on behalf of the Polish production company Lumisenta.
Daniela Cölle, Managing Director at Pluto Film continued: 'We are thrilled to welcome SICK to Pluto Film's slate. Agata Trzebuchowska has created an atmospheric and unsettling horror film that transforms the oppressive calmness of a summer into a powerful psychological landscape. Rather than coming-of-age story, SICK is the horror of growing up, exploring the fear, confusion, and loss of certainty that accompany the passage into adulthood. Through the shifting relationship between Maks and his sister, Emma, the film examines isolation, family bonds, and blurred boundaries between childhood and adulthood. We were captivated by the film's distinctive tone, emotional complexity, and ability to create unease through suggestion rather than explanation. We believe SICK is a bold debut with strong potential to connect with both international genre and crossover audiences who like edgy and original films.'
About Pluto Film
Pluto Film is an international sales, festival distribution, production and consultancy based in Berlin, committed to engaging global cinema and devoted to feature films reaching and engaging audiences globally. The company's focus is on arthouse and cross-over films, especially those by emerging talents, with a lineup that also includes family films, elevated genre films, and documentaries.
Recent titles include I MATTER directed by Alina Serban which premiered at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival, CHICA CHECA directed by Šimon Holý, SUMMER WAR directed by Alicia Scherson, animated feature EXTRAORDINARY directed by Marina Andree Škop and Vanda Raýmanová, ATLAS OF THE UNIVERSE directed by Paul Negoescu, THE PUPIL directed by Karin Junger and FUNERAL CASINO BLUES directed by Roderick Warich.
For more information, visit plutofilm.de.
Photo Credit: Maciej Edelman
Photo Credit: Maciej Edelman
