Candidates of Death

Local title
Surma kandidaadid
Original title
Candidates of Death
Director
Maciej Cuske
Country
Year
2026

What starts as a summer horror movie becomes a 17-year chronicle of friendship, dreams, and growing up.

A father goes on holiday with his son and two of his friends, during which time they make an amateur horror film together. As the years pass, they continue to shoot scenes for their “handcrafted,” carefree, imaginative horror project, with even more passion, dutiful consistency, and unwavering commitment: the documentary chronicles a decade of this beautiful adventure, as Maciej and the kids become a group of people who grow up and yet somehow still manage to grow younger together.

An unexpected blend of documentary and coming-of-age film unlike any other; it’s as if the kids from “Stand By Me” decided to make a thriller, alongside a dad-director who refuses to grow up. The making of such a film would look a lot like the funny, tenderly melancholic, and wonderful “Candidates of Death”.

Director
Maciej Cuske
Screenwriter
Maciej Cuske
Producer
Ewa Hoffmann, Maciej Cuske
Cast
Maciej Cuske, Stanisław Cuske, Adrian Weber, Rafał Waraczewski
Cinematographer
Tomasz Pawlik
Editing
Katarzyna Orzechowska
Production
Fundacja Bydgoska Kronika Filmowa
Co production
TVP, Silesia Film, MCK Bydgoszcz, SoFilms
Sound
Jarosław Sadowski, Marcin Lenarczyk
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Screenings

Screening030917 / Surma kandidaadid
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Screening074121 / Surma kandidaadid
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Hall 1 Kino Artis
Screening172116 / Surma kandidaadid
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer