Agata Kulesza (“Ida”) and Bartosz Bielenia (“Corpus Christi”) will brace for “The Time That Never Came.”
The dystopian melodrama, set to premiere in 2026, will focus on a couple in a world obsessed with youth. Sara (Kulesza) chose to age naturally while Oskar, her partner, took an anti-aging treatment. Years later, when they reunite — divided by time but bound by the past — Sara begins a journey to reclaim lost love, confront buried emotions and find freedom.
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Ed (Bielenia) is a calm and resourceful driver who helps Sara escape the Refuge. As they travel together to the City of Youth, unexpected events begin to shift her plans.
Kulesza, also known for “Green Border,” told Variety: “I truly hope we can create a universal story, one that invites reflection on where older people stand in today’s world and whether we’re placing far too much value on youth, which is, from the outset, a race we’re all destined to lose. I understand that when you’re young, you don’t think about growing old — but aging comes for all of us.”
The film is directed by Julia Rogowska, who is making her feature debut.
“I’m genuinely interested in what young people think about and how they perceive the world. This story, and the world Julia created in her imagination, moved me immediately,” added Kulesza.
“I think we connected through that sensitivity and through the things that trouble us in the world. I’m at a stage in life that feels like a transition. It pains me that aging has become taboo, and that older people are pushed aside. We talk about them only in terms of age, but no one asks what that person has meant to the world or what they’ve done. They become nothing more than a number.”
According to Rogowska, “The Time That Never Came” was born from conversations about “where our collective obsession with youth comes from and what the fear of aging silently takes away from us.”
“Together with screenwriter Małgorzata Piłacińska, we explored what we are willing to sacrifice, or even give up entirely, out of that fear. At its core, this is also a love story: one shaped by time, memory and longing. I was drawn to the emotional tension of melodrama: the idea that even after years apart, two people can still carry the weight of what was lost, and the hope of what might still be reclaimed.”
She called Sara “the kind of heroine we need today.”
“We’ve been told that significant change is the domain of the young, but Sara defies that notion,” Rogowska said. “She challenges how we think not only about aging, but also about freedom.”
Also featuring Dobromir Dymecki as Oskar and Michalina Łabacz, “The Time That Never Came” is produced by Krystyna Kantor for Shipsboy (Poland). Joanna Szymańska co-produces, as well as Dries Phlypo for A Private View (Belgium). Next Film handles Polish distribution.
“As a company focused on international co-productions, we’ve always looked for stories that connect across cultures, but ‘The Time That Never Came’ is our first majority feature. Sara’s journey struck us as emotionally resonant, artistically ambitious, and deeply relevant to the world we live in. This is the kind of bold, genre-crossing cinema we believe audiences are looking for,” said Kantor.
Previously, A Private View collaborated with Shipsboy on “Dust,” directed by Anke Blondé.
“We got to know Shipsboy as a reliable, committed, and strong partner. We’re excited to now switch roles and stand behind ‘The Time That Never Came’ as co-producer, supporting this remarkable story,” noted Phlypo.
“The film offers a critical perspective on beauty ideals and aging while unfolding a captivating and universal love story. From the very beginning, we were drawn to the originality and distinct character of this project, a narrative in which love, despite every obstacle and temptation, always finds its way back to the surface,” he said.
“It’s about the strength it takes to let go, the consequences of the choices we make and the search for freedom and self-worth.”
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