Pole-Dancing Drama ‘Exotic’ Heads To Cannes With Pluto Films

EXCLUSIVE: Berlin-based sales company Pluto Film has acquired international rights for Sonja Orlewicz‑Zakrzewska’s first feature Exotic, about a woman’s journey toward self‑discovery through pole dancing.

The picture follows a writer whose quest to master pole dancing evolves into something far more profound when the process and community of dancers she encounters help her figure out her true self.

Shot against the backdrop of a real-life workshop run by Polish pole dancing school Exo Stars Camp, the film grew out of Orlewicz‑Zakrzewska’s personal fascination with pole dancing.

“As soon as I discovered exotic pole dance, I got so invested that I went straight to Exo Stars Camp,” she said. “I was fascinated by the clash of the fragile, intimate universes we carried within us around the camp. It soon became clear that the camp itself was a perfect place to confront fears, leave one’s comfort zone and express oneself more than daily life ever allows.“

The feature stars a host of Polish talent including actresses Jaśmina Polak, Magdalena Koleśnik and Monika Frajczyk.

Polak and Frajczyk previously appeared together in Agnieszka Holland’s drama Green Border as activist sisters who help people stuck in the swampy land between Poland and Belarus, while Koleśnik is best known internationally for her performance in Magnus von Horn’s Sweat.

“The writer’s journey through pole dancing becomes a beautiful metaphor for breaking free from self-imposed limitations and embracing unexpected paths to self-discovery,” said Pluto Film managing director Daniela Cölle.

“Based on Sonja’s personal story, this debut speaks about universal human themes like connection, reinvention and belonging.”

The film is produced by Magdalena Sztorc of Warsaw-based Mozaika Films, whose upcoming credits also include Anna Jadowska’s Eurimages-supported Little Mary, Always a Virgin.

“Exotic is a bold, electrifying debut that plunges into a rarely seen subculture, tracing one woman’s fierce journey toward self-realization with wit, edge and raw intimacy,” she said.

Performed by the finest of Poland’s young acting generation — Polak, Bartosz Bielenia, Koleśnik and Monika Frajczyk — it has become a film that dares to be different. We are convinced that together with Pluto, Exotic will find its audience across festivals and beyond.”

Director, scriptwriter, visual artist and photographer Orlewicz‑Zakrzewska holds a master’s degree in photography from the Cinematography Department of the Łódź Film School.

Her first short, Cross’n’Carry (2019), screened at festivals including New Horizons, HollyShorts and BEAST Portugal. She also took part in the script training lab Atelier Scenariuszowe and the EAVE Producers Workshop (2021).

As a cinematographer, she worked on Enthusiasts, a documentary series for Canal+. Her video art and photography have been shown in numerous exhibitions including the Leica Gallery Warsaw.