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KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival
Say cześć to the best in Polish cinema.
KINOTEKA presents an exclusive selection of 20th-century Polish classics. The strand showcases well-established classics such as The Maids of Wilko (1979) and How to Be Loved (1963) alongside the likes of Sexmission (1984) and Pigs (1992), cult films in Poland that have only had a limited overseas release. The importance of Poland’s women directors is also foregrounded, with Agnieszka Holland’s lesser-known sophomore feature Fever (1981) and the outstanding but underappreciated Barbara Sass’s debut Without Love (1980).
Selected features
Without LoveWithout Love
Drama1980100 minsDirector: Barbara Sass-Zdort
Ruthless young journalist, Ewa, is forced to reflect on her behaviour when a young woman’s life is put at risk in this tough and uncompromising slice of social realism.
FeverFever
Drama1981112 minsDirector: Agnieszka Holland
A series of interwoven stories focusing on the Polish resistance to Russian forces at the time of the 1905 Revolution.
SexmissionSexmission
Science Fiction1984116 minsDirector: Juliusz Machulski
Two men wake up from hibernation in 2044, decades later than expected, to find themselves emerging in an underground post-nuclear world of women.
On the Silver GlobeOn the Silver Globe
Science Fiction1988165 minsDirector: Andrzej Zulawski
Andrzej Żuławski's uncompromising sci-fi observes a new society growing on an alien planet and explores the dangers of polarised politics.
Identification Marks: NoneIdentification Marks: None
Fantasy196472 minsDirector: Jerzy Skolimowski
As he prepares to join the army, having given up his studies and left his girlfriend, Polish student Andrzej spends his last day re-examining his life.
The Beads of One RosaryThe Beads of One Rosary
Drama1979107 minsDirector: Kazimierz Kutz
Retired miner Karol Habryka fights to retain his family home, shunning the concrete tenements that are rising up outside his door.
The Young Ladies of WilkoThe Young Ladies of Wilko
Drama1979112 minsDirector: Andrzej Wajda
Exquisite period tale of a young man who re-visits the idyllic rural estate where he used to summer before the war, only to discover just how much things have changed.
Pigs (aka Dogs)Pigs (aka Dogs)
Crime1992106 minsDirector: Wladyslaw Pasikowski
Ex secret police officer, Franz Maurer, is ‘downgraded’ to an ordinary policeman and life on the streets proves brutal as he adjusts to his new status in this gritty urban thriller.
How to Be LovedHow to Be Loved
Drama196298 minsDirector: Wojciech Jerzy Has
An actress struggles to reconcile the choices of her past as she travels from Warsaw to Paris in this distinct depiction of the German Occupation from a female perspective, from director Wojciech Jerzy Has (The Saragossa Manuscript).
The War of the Worlds: Next CenturyThe War of the Worlds: Next Century
Science Fiction198194 minsDirector: Piotr Szulkin
Polish authorities exploit an alien invasion to increase their power, manipulate the media and provide populist entertainment in this philosophical sci-fi that draws on the themes of H G Wells’ novel.