Photos: THE TUNERS to Release on New York Times Op-Docs with Joanna Kulig

European Film Award-winning actress and singer Joanna Kulig (Cold War, Ida, Fatherland, The Eddy) has boarded THE TUNERS as executive producer, marking her first executive producer credit. Directed by Paweł Chorzępa and produced by International Emmy Award winner Joanna Chorzępa (Pianoforte), the documentary short heads into the awards race with three Oscar-qualifying festival awards, an international festival run, and a forthcoming mid-November release on The New York Times Op-Docs. The film has been selected for DOC NYC Short List and SFFILM Doc Stories, with other upcoming screenings including DocsMX, St. Louis International Film Festival, Camerimage, and more.

A visually striking portrait of musical craftsmanship and backstage rivalry, THE TUNERS reveals a competition unfolding beyond the spotlight of Warsaw's prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition. As pianists prepare for career-defining performances, three expert piano tuners representing leading grand piano manufacturers work day and night in pursuit of the perfect sound. Each brings a distinct philosophy, intuition, and technique to the task, knowing that the instrument a pianist chooses—and how it responds—could help determine a victory. Across 22 minutes, the film transforms this exacting, often unseen work into a suspenseful human drama about artistry, ambition, and the quest for excellence.

The film's festival honors include the Silver Dragon for Best Documentary Film at Krakow Film Festival, the Best Short Award in the Non-Fiction Competition at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, and both Best Short Film and Best Short Documentary Film at the Bali International Film Festival. Its international festival run also includes FIPADOC, Tampere Film Festival, DC/DOX, Doc Edge Festival, Palm Springs Short Fest, Indy Shorts, and more.

Festival juries have singled out the film's cinematic ambition and unexpected dramatic stakes. The Krakow jury praised its ability to find 'tension and suspense in the most unexpected place,' while the Balinale jury described it as 'an audio visual treat,' applauding the cinematography, soundscapes, and editing that elevate its story into high drama. The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia jury celebrated its 'thrilling and entertaining aspect' and 'beautifully musical direction.'

'I'm thrilled to join The Tuners as an executive producer. As an actress and musician, I was immediately drawn to this beautifully crafted film and to the extraordinary people it brings out of the shadows. It's a story about music, passion and the pursuit of perfection – and I'm very happy to support it on its journey,' said executive producer Joanna Kulig.

Kulig's involvement brings a shared musical sensibility to the film. Her acclaimed performance as a singer in Paweł Pawlikowski's Academy Award-nominated Cold War earned her the European Film Award for Best European Actress. Her other work spans Pawlikowski's Oscar-winning Ida, Damien Chazelle's jazz-centered Netflix series The Eddy, Rebecca Miller's She Came to Me, Michael Keaton's Knox Goes Away, and the series Masters of the Air. Kulig also served on the Un Certain Regard jury at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.

'I've known Joanna for nearly twenty years, and I've always admired her extraordinary musical sensitivity, her ability to look beyond the surface and see deeply into people, and the rare empathy she brings to everything she does. Her commitment to social causes and genuine care for others make me especially proud and grateful to have her join The Tuners as an Executive Producer,' said director Paweł Chorzępa.

'We are incredibly proud and grateful to have Joanna join The Tuners as an Executive Producer. She is an extraordinary, internationally acclaimed artist, and it means so much to us that someone of her stature and sensitivity has chosen to stand behind our film and help carry it into the world,' said producer Joanna Chorzępa.

The filmmaking team brings extensive experience in documentary and music-centered storytelling. Director Paweł Chorzępa, who also serves as cinematographer, made his directorial debut with Sonny, which premiered at IDFA and went on to win awards for directing and cinematography. Joanna Chorzępa, the film's producer and a musicologist, heads the Audiovisual Office of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw. Her producing credits include Sonny, Dust, and Pianoforte, the International Emmy Award-winning documentary about young pianists competing in the Chopin Competition.

The Tuners is edited by Kosma Kowalczyk and Jakub Darewski, whose credits include the award-winning documentary Lombard, with music by Berlin-based composer and interdisciplinary artist Wojtek Blecharz. Sound design is by two-time Emmy Award winner Tom Paul, whose credits include American Symphony, Little Richard: I Am Everything, and the Academy Award-winning documentaries The Fog of War and Born Into Brothels.

More information is available at thetunersdoc.com.

Select Upcoming Screenings

United States

San Francisco, CA – SFFILM Doc Stories – Nov. 6, 5:30 p.m.

St. Louis, MO – St. Louis Int'l Film Festival – Nov. 7, 2:30 p.m.

Chicago, IL – Polish Film Festival in America – Nov. 11, 7:00 p.m.

New York, NY – DOC NYC – Nov. 12, 11:00 a.m.

International

Mexico City, Mexico – DocsMX – Oct. 23, 7:35 p.m. & Oct. 27, 7:20 p.m.

Sapporo, Japan – Sapporo Int'l Film Festival – Oct. 25, 3 p.m.

Barcelona, Spain – In-Edit Int'l Film Festival – Nov. 5, 5:45 p.m.

Vilnius, Lithuania – Scanorama – Nov. 6, 4:00 p.m.

Tokyo, Japan – Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia Tour – Nov. 7, 5:40 p.m.

About Paweł Chorzępa (Director and Cinematographer)

Paweł Chorzępa is a Polish film director and cinematographer whose work spans documentary and fiction cinema. His directorial debut, 'Sonny,' premiered at I.D.F.A. and went on to receive multiple awards for both directing and cinematography on the international festival circuit. His work has been presented and recognized at some of the world's leading film festivals, including I.D.F.A., Berlinale, Visions du Réel, Clermont-Ferrand, D.O.K. Leipzig, CAMERIMAGE, Indy Shorts and the Krakow Film Festival. Chorzępa is currently developing several documentary projects. He studied philosophy at Jagiellonian University and Cinematography at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia. Alongside his filmmaking practice, he is a professor at the University of Silesia, where he teaches cinematography and visual storytelling.

About Joanna Chorzępa (Producer)

Joanna Chorzępa is a documentary film producer and musicologist. She is a founder of Bees Film House and heads the Audiovisual Office of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw. She is an International Emmy Award winner in the Arts Programming category for the documentary 'Pianoforte.' As a producer, she has worked on critically acclaimed films including 'Pianoforte,' 'Dust,' and 'Sonny,' which have been screened and won awards at major international festivals such as Sundance, I.D.F.A., Visions du Réel, CAMERIMAGE and DocsMX. She studied musicology at the University of Warsaw and Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III, and completed doctoral studies at the Polish National Film School in Łódź.