Polish Cinema for Beginners

"Polish Cinema for Beginners" is a unique project - the first of its kind - both in Wroclaw and all of , whose first edition took place in 2012 and was very popular with audiences. It is aimed directly at foreigners in order to present them with the masterpieces of Polish cinema. This will be shown, with English subtitles, on the big screen in Kino Nowe Horyzonty (New Horizons Cinema). In order to present the historical and artistic context of the films, each screening is introduced by a lecture in English, led by renowned experts - film scholars , journalists and scientists. Thanks to this, the project has not only entertainment, but also educational value, thus serving as a valuable course in Polish culture. Each screening is followed by an open discussion in which different cultural viewpoints are shared. After the discussion, viewers are cordially invited to a Polish Party in Wroclaw’s Gradient Club (at Solny Square).

Our goal

Through regular meetings and screenings of Polish films, we want to support the integration process of foreigners living in Wroclaw. We also want to show the history of Polish cinema and, more broadly, Polish culture, by placing the films in a wider socio- historical context. English-speaking Polish viewers will have the opportunity to see their native Polish films from a slightly different perspective, which - as shown by the reactions of foreigners during post-screening discussions – is sometimes surprising. What is more, we want to co-create the identity of Wroclaw as a city that stands out on the Polish map by offering equal- opportunity access to the cultural heritage of our country, by being an open city, and – especially in the context of its being chosen as European Capital of Culture 2016 – by offering an interesting and unique range of cultural and educational activities.

WROCŁAWSKA FUNDACJA FILMOWA ul. Leszczyńskiego 4/29 50-078 Wrocław www.wrocff.com.pl; [email protected] tel. 664 084 949 fax. 022 207 25 11

THE PROGRAMME

1st MEETING – inauguration February 27, 2014 [Thursday, 7pm] “The Reverse”, directed by Borys Lankosz, 99’ (2009) Before the screening: introduction of the project After the screening: banquet in Kino Nowe Horyzonty and Polish Party in Gradient Club (at Solny Square 16)

Best Polish film of 2009 and Polish Oscar nomination. Set in Stalinist times, this is the story of a single young woman, a modest, unassuming employee in a publishing house, whose mother and grandmother are desperately trying to find a husband. Unexpectedly, a charming, intelligent and very handsome man named Bronisław appears in her life, whose presence initiates a series of surprising events. Starring: Agata Buzek, Marcin Dorociński and Krystyna Janda.

2nd MEETING March 6, 2014 ([Thursday, 7pm] “How to be loved”, directed by Wojciech Jerzy Has, 97’ (1963) Lecturer: Agnieszka Jakimiak After the screening: discussion and Polish Party in Gradient Club(at Solny Square 16)

The lecture will cover the oeuvre of , the phenomenon of the Polish school, WWII seen through the eyes of women, and the image of women in Polish cinema. Lecturer Agnieszka Jakimiak is a dramaturg and essayist, author of the play "How to Be Loved” which was inspired by Has's movie. Jakimiak’s play, which was put on by Weronika Szczawińska and published by the monthly magazine “Dialog”, received an honorable mention in the theatre industry survey of the monthly periodical “Teatr”.

3rd MEETING March 20, 2014 [Thursday, 7pm] “We Have to Kill This Love”, directed by Janusz Morgenstern, 92’ (1972) Lecturer: Dawid Junke After the screening: discussion and Polish Party in Gradient Club (at Solny Square 16)

The lecture will cover the changes in customs and new directions in Polish and world cinema in the 70s, the Gierek era through the eyes of Polish filmmakers and the condition of Polish society before the era of "moral unease". Lecturer David Junke from the University of Wroclaw is a film studies graduate of Chapman University in California who researches the philosophical and social impacts of popular culture.

WROCŁAWSKA FUNDACJA FILMOWA ul. Leszczyńskiego 4/29 50-078 Wrocław www.wrocff.com.pl; [email protected] tel. 664 084 949 fax. 022 207 25 11

4th MEETING April 3, 2014 [Thursday, 7pm] “Man of Marble”, directed by Andrzej Wajda, 156’ (1976) Lecturer: Michał Oleszczyk After the screening: discussion and Polish Party in Gradient Club (at Solny Square 16)

The lecture will cover Andrzej Wajda’s filmography - the director’s oeuvre throughout different periods of history (the Polish school, the “third cinema”, the “cinema of moral unease”, Wajda in the Polish Third Republic) and the importance of the "Man of Marble" in the history of Polish and world cinema. Lecturer Michał Oleszczyk holds a doctorate in film studies from the Jagiellonian University, is a film critic and translator, a member of Polish Filmmakers NYC, and the artistic director of the Polish Film Festival in since 2014.

5th MEETING April 17, 2014 [Thursday, 7pm] “Blind Chance”, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, 122’ (1981) Lecturer: Adriana Prodeus After the screenig: discussion and Polish Party in Gradient Club (at Solny Square 16)

The lecture will cover the Polish and international oeuvre of Krzysztof Kieslowski, the uniqueness of "Blind Chance" , and references to Kieslowski’s work in both Polish and world cinema. Lecturer Adriana Prodeus is a film critic, art curator and a Fulbright scholar at New York University. She also works for the Polish press, television and theatre.

6th MEETING May 8, 2014 [Thursday, 7pm] “The Debt”, directed by Krzysztof Krauze, 106' (1999) Lecturer: Błażej Hrapkowicz After the screenig: discussion and Polish Party in Gradient Club (at Solny Square 16)

The lecture will cover the political transformation of Poland, the new capitalist system, clashes with this new reality, changes in societal structure and Polish cinema after the fall of Communism. Lecturer Błażej Hrapkowicz is a film critic cooperating with the Polish Radio and numerous press agencies.

Meetings will be led by Adam Kruk - journalist, film expert, lecturer and author of numerous texts in both the Polish press ("Film", "Kino", "Ekrany", "Kwartalnik Filmowy", "Filmweb.pl", "Dwutygodnik.com") and foreign press ("Images ","Schegge "," Iskusstvo Kino "). He is responsible for the "Polish Cinema for Beginners” program and winner of the prestigious Krzysztof Mętrak Memorial Award for young film critics. WROCŁAWSKA FUNDACJA FILMOWA ul. Leszczyńskiego 4/29 50-078 Wrocław www.wrocff.com.pl; [email protected] tel. 664 084 949 fax. 022 207 25 11

. Tickets: 15 zloty, 11 zloty (students)

Our website: http://www.polishcinema.com.pl

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polishcinema

Organisation:

Wroclaw Film Foundation ul. Leszczyńskiego 4/29, 50-078 Wrocław www.wrocff.com.pl | [email protected] tel. 664 084 949 | fax. 022 207 25 11

Partners:

Kino Nowe Horyzonty ESK 2016 Klub Gradient Cyfrowe Repozytorium Filmowe European Student Network

Contact: Paweł Kosuń (Wroclaw Film Found), tel. 664 084 949, [email protected] Adam Kruk (main expert), tel. 691 961 655, [email protected] Kuba Żary (media), tel. 887717180, [email protected] Maja Kimbar (foreign contact) tel. +48509855848, [email protected] Stan Abramik (foreign contact), tel. +48604151958, [email protected] Lech Moliński, tel. 690 931 118, [email protected]

WROCŁAWSKA FUNDACJA FILMOWA ul. Leszczyńskiego 4/29 50-078 Wrocław www.wrocff.com.pl; [email protected] tel. 664 084 949 fax. 022 207 25 11