• 49 films in seven impressive thematic cycles
• classics and newcomers
• masters and rising stars
• winners of the world’s most important film awards

 

The unique presentation of Polish films both old and brand new is a real treat for moviegoers and casual viewers. Far from being a boring lesson of the cinematic history about the country of Lech Wałęsa and Pope John Paul II, Poland On Screen is an attempt to show the diversity of Polish cinema made by such an eminent artists as Polański, Has, Wajda, Zanussi and Kieślowski.

Polish cinema is much more than just those big names; it is also easily recognisable for two cinema professions which are said to be Poles’ “speciality”: directors of photography (Kamiński, Idziak, Sobociński, Edelman) and composers (Penderecki, Komeda, Preisner, Kaczmarek). Films bearing their signature will also be found in this collection. Not forgetting to mention actors whose fame has reached far beyond the Polish borders (Cybulski, Olbrychski, Linda, Stuhr)…

The Festival of Polish cinema, which is organised on the occasion of the Polish Presidency in the European Union is also an attempt to show how the screen becomes a reflection of reality, a Balzacian mirror, regardless of the constraints of communist or moral censorship.

What is that Poland on the screen like? How was it described by the censorship‑constrained artists of the Communist era? And how is it seen by the younger generation of post-liberation filmmakers? The answers on those and many more questions are waiting to be discovered at the cinemas.

The opening film:
Małgorzata Szumowska’s 33 Scenes from Life – 14 Oct., 6.30 pm., the Ritzy (followed with Q&A with the filmmakers)