A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING
Poland, 1987, running time 86 minutes. Release date: March 11, 1988
Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
On a somber March day, the paths of three men cross: the cabbie Marian cleans his car, the lawyer Piotr celebrates passing his bar exam while in the same café, 20-year-old Jacek prepares his murder weapon. The film is a psychological and ethical study of murder. A sensation at the Cannes film festival and recipient of numerous awards, A Short Film About Killing opened the door to an international career for director, Krzysztof Kieślowski.
THE MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN SARAGOSSA
Poland, 1964, running time 184 minutes (part one: 81 minutes, part two: 103 minutes). Release date: February 9, 1965
Directed by Wojciech J. Has
A favorite film of Jerry Garcia and Luis Buñuel, The Manuscript Founf in Saragossa is a brilliant adaptation of one of the greatest works of world literature. It is a Chinese box tale — a travel story about the supernatural and mystical opposed to the humanist materialism. It is 1739 as Alphonse van Worden crosses the wild range of the Sierra Morena, a land said to be inhabited only by demons — evil spirits and invisible hands that push travelers into chasms. Although he refuses to listen to those tales, his journey will be a sequence of supernatural and frightful events. But maybe they're only illusions?
ASHES AND DIAMONDS
Poland, 1958, running time 104 minutes. Release date: October 3, 1958
Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Ashes and Diamonds is set on the last day of World War II and the first day of peace. And between them, a night that changes everything. Seen through the eyes of Maciek, a young Polish resistance soldier, the old is rapidly mixing with the new. In a few hours dawn will end the Nazi slavery of the country, but also will bring a new communist regime to Poland. This is not the independence the idealistic young man and his brothers in arms have been fighting and dying for. Should Maciek continue his combat when he wants so badly to live a normal, peaceful life? An iconic portrait of the dilemma of a whole generation in Poland, rooted in the literary tradition of great, tragic dramas of romanticism.
BLIND CHANCE
Poland, 1981, running time 123 minutes. Release date: January 10, 1987
Directed and written by Krzysztof Kieślowski
One moment, one train — three completely different outcomes. It is a film examining the effect of even the smallest of choices. Twenty-year-old Witek Długosz rushes to make a train to Warsaw, his hometown, after the death of his father. Crashing into a man drinking beer, Witek is barely able to pull himself aboard by the final car's handrail. On the train, he encounters an old communist, who convinces him to join the Communist Party. Back in the station, Witek crashes hard into the man drinking beer, delaying him enough to miss his train. On the railway, he smacks into a guard and is arrested. Angry, he joins the anti-Communist resistance, thus launching another sequence of events that leaves him alone and distrusted. Finally, in the station again, Witek misses the train because he gets slowed down by the man with the beer, but stops to catch his breath, avoiding the guard from the second scenario. He sees Olga at the platform, the two return to her apartment, make a child, and get married. Witek finds the motivation to finish medical school, and with newfound responsibilities, he refuses to associate with any political party, avoiding the Communists completely and forging a happy life for himself. Blind Chance was heavily censored by the communist regime, due to its anti-Communist messages. The now restored version of the film comprises scenes never before been shown to the public.
CAMOUFLAGE
Poland, 1977, running time 96 minutes. Release date: January 28, 1977
Directed and written by Krzysztof Zanussi
A group of students are spending the summer vacation at a university camp studying the science of linguistics. One of the camp directors, Jarosław, is a young professor who prefers the straightforward, intimate approach to students. He is opposed in his liberal views by Jakub in the end, a jury prize is given to mediocre paper, and since he disfavors the line of thought awarded by the recommendation the tensions rise. They climax when student in question bites the rector in the ear while receiving recommendation. The confrontation results in a scandal and the police is called in.
THE CONSTANT FACTOR
Poland, 1980, running time 91 minutes. Release date: September 19, 1980
Directed and written by Krzysztof Zanussi
Warmly received at the Cannes Festival and winner of several international awards, Krzysztof Zanussi's film portrays a naive but honest young man, Witold, dealing with the truths of his world. He dreams of climbing the Himalayas, just as his father had done before him. His skill in mathematics earns him a job in an international trade company, but he soon finds the position grating and he is constantly thwarted by his own candidness. Confronting the death of his mother, the illusion of choice, and the realities of his world, Witold continues forward in this frightening but powerful film.
THE ILLUMINATION
Poland, 1972, running time 93 minutes. Release date: November 23, 1973
Directed and written by Krzysztof Zanussi
In this classic bildungsroman, a young man from a provincial town comes to the capital to study physics, hoping that science can answer his questions. He explores the boundaries of knowledge while tackling universal life experiences — love, death, friendship, fatherhood, and work. The Illumination is a philosophical essay written with a camera, comprising animation, experimental techniques and documentary footage. Director Krzysztof Zanussi's protagonist struggles against the futility of a life constantly overshadowed by death. However, in the face of defeat, he rejects nihilism and resignation to his fate in favor of a simplistic view of life: fragile but treasured. With the success of this masterpiece, Mr. Zanussi's career blossomed into international renown, proving that philosophy could be translated into successful cinema.
THE PROMISED LAND
Poland, 1974, running time 170 minutes. Release date: February 21, 1975
Directed and written by Andrzej Wajda
Director Andrzej Wajda's powerful drama is a tale about the strength of male friendship. "I have nothing, you have nothing, he has nothing. Taken together we have just enough to build a major factory." Three friends — a Polish nobleman, Karol Borowiecki; a German, Max Baum; and a Jew, Moritz Welt — shrink from nothing, including treachery and fraud to build their empire. But ruthless business tactics and an ill-fated affair leave Borowiecki with a choice: either change his ways or sacrifice all compassion in order to protect his financial capital. In the footsteps of Dickens, Mr. Wajda paints a bleak picture of 19th-century Łódź , a chaotic city littered with dangerous factories and devoid of true culture. One of the most outstanding Polish films, The Promised Land, was the winner of numerous prizes, including the Golden Lion and an Academy Award® nomination.
IDA
Denmark, Poland, United Kingdom 2013, running time: 82 minutes. Release date: September 11, 2013.
Directed and written by Paweł Pawlikowski
From a very early age, Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) lived in a monastery. Before taking her vows as a nun, she must make the acquaintance of her aunt Wanda Gruz (Agata Kulesza), who is her only living relative . The elder woman had been a communist court judge who, in the days of Stalin, brashly participated in the political processes. As they sit at a table, the cynical middle-aged woman reveals that Anna's actual name is Ida Lebenstein and she is a Jew whose parents were killed during the war. The two women decide to find the places of their buried loved ones, in an attempt to illuminate more of their family’s past. Pawlikowski’s film was the big winner at Gdynia Film Festival, receiving the Golden Lion and recognised for cinematography, lead female role and set design. It was also selected as Best Film of 2014 by the European Film Academy and as Best Film Not in the English Language of 2014 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). In 2015, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
WARSAW 44
Poland, 2014, running time 130 minutes. Release date: September 19, 2014
Directed by Jan Komasa
Warsaw 44 is a story of young Varsovians full of life and passion, living as if each day was to be their last. But it’s not their bravado or youthful recklessness that makes them act this way – this attitude is commonplace in the reality that surrounds them. We first meet the movie’s main characters shortly before the Warsaw Uprising breaks out. They join the underground movement not only to fulfil their patriotic duty, but also to embark on a youthful adventure, have something to brag to their peers about and impress girls. They flirt, show off and make plans during their underground training. Little do they know that the approaching summer will prove to be the test of their lives and that History has already made some plans for them… Joined in friendship, Warsaw 44’s characters form one of the most courageous units to fight in the Warsaw Uprising. They witness sacrifice and heroism, but also cruelty, betrayal and murder. They learn about love and experience what hate feels like. Against their will, history teaches them a bloody and brutal lesson in maturity.
THE HEART AND THE SWEETHEART
Poland, 2014, running time 114 minutes. Release date: October 12, 2014
Directed and written by Jan Jakub Kolski
A story, warm and full of humor, about Maszeńka (a debut performance by Maria Blandzi), an 11-year-old girl from an orphanage in the Bieszczady Mountains who loves ballet. The first stage on her road to fulfilling her dream is the entrance exam to the ballet school in Gdańsk. To make it there in time, she escapes from the orphanage, taking newly hired educator Kordula (Julia Kijowska) with her. They travel all the way across Poland, hiding from the police and meeting people who help them in need. The cast includes Maja Komorowska, Marcin Dorociński, Franciszek Pieczka and Borys Szyc. A road film and modern-day fairy tale about dreams, courage and a meeting of two women, one an adult and the other a child, who long for love.