Few filmmakers shaped modern Polish cinema as profoundly as Andrzej Wajda. Here are ten memorable quotes that capture Wajda’s philosophy of film and the convictions that guided one of Poland’s greatest directors.
A towering figure of the Polish Film School, Andrzej Wajda spent decades exploring Poland’s history, identity, and moral dilemmas through cinema. His reflections on filmmaking, culture, and responsibility reveal not only a master of the craft but also a thinker deeply engaged with the role of art in national life.
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Andrzej Wajda directing Fyodor Dostoyevski's 'Possessed', 1971, Old Theatre, Kraków, photo: Wojciech Plewinski / Forum
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Andrzej Wajda Fyodor Dostoyevski'nin Possessed adlı eserinin provasında, 1971, Old Theatre, Kraków, Fotoğraf: Wojciech Plewinski / Forum
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I will speak in Polish, because I want to say what I’m thinking, and I always think in Polish.
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Wajda's Academy Award acceptance speech in 2000
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We must seek reconciliation with the reality that is here and now.
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'Andrzej Wajda: Friendship is Most Important' by Katarzyna Szymanek, 2011
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There are not many female characters in Polish literature who pursue different things, so anything featuring interesting women should be watched closely.
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An interview with Stopklatka Polish film website
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Andrzej Wajda on the set to 'Man of Iron', 1981, Warsaw, photo: Maciej Billewicz / Forum
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Andrzej Wajda on the set to "Man of Iron", 1981, Warsaw, Photo by Maciej Billewicz / Forum
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I am not a writer. Only necessity compels me to describe in words the film I want to make. Do not be angered by these words, for they will not appear on screen.
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'An Imperfect Reflection: The Technique of a Screenwriter' by Maciej Karpiński, 2006
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The Polish Film School focused on wartime themes and neorealistic forms. We were fascinated by Italian neorealism. It was something new: filming outdoors, with natural lighting. We couldn't stand pre-war films shot in studios (...) Never before had cinema been so important within national culture. It carried the burden of maintaining our national identity.
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SFP Film Magazine, 2007
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If a film is a success, it’s our film. But once in a while there are films, which don’t work out and then it’s my film (...) It all depends on me, concerns me, all of the mistakes fall on me, but success is our joint success, because we make this film together.
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In conversation with Mateusz Kudła, 2016
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Andrzej Wajda on the set of 'Rough Treatment', 1976, photo: Marek Szymański / Forum
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Andrzej Wajda on the set to "Rough Treatment", 1976, Photo by Marek Szymański / Forum
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You have to do a lot of things in life so that after death, at least two or three remain.
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There is no one film that is the most important to me. Both ‘Canal’ and ‘Ashes and Diamonds’ showed my attitude towards war. It would be difficult for me to renounce films such as ‘The Wedding’, ‘Pan Tadeusz’ or ‘Revenge’.
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A film is a kind of machine. Once it sets in motion, it is always the same – whether it is a drama or a comedy, whether it takes place in winter or summer, whether it is a bigger or smaller film, whether it stars Polański or someone else. It is a certain reality that everyone must submit to.
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'Wajda on Cinema', 2000
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The Polish audience knew exactly what I was trying to say. I couldn't express it in words, I did it through images.
