6:00 PM

Canal / Kanał (1957) 
dir. Andrzej Wajda 1h 31min
Trailer

followed by
PANEL: Films by Andrzej Wajda
with Professors Annette Insdorf
(Columbia University) and
Rafal Syska (Jagiellonian University)

During the final days of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, a group of resistance fighters is forced underground into the city’s vast sewer system. As they navigate the pitch-black maze, each character is pushed to the brink physically, emotionally, and morally. A haunting meditation on hopelessness, heroism, and the psychological trauma of war.

8:30 PM

Under the Vulcano / Pod wulkanem (2024)
dir. Damian Kocur 1h 45min
Trailer

A portrayal of the emotional state of the young family, which is struck by the outbreak of war. A blended Ukrainian family—father Roman, his new wife Nastia, teenage daughter Sofia, and young son Fedir—spends the last day of their vacation in Tenerife, Spain. Their plans are upended when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strands them on the island, forcing them to confront their relationships and uncertain future.

7:30 PM

Ashes and Diamonds / Popiół i diament (1958)
dir. Andrzej Wajda 1h 43min
Trailer

A milestone of Polish cinema, this electrifying international sensation by Andrzej Wajda—the final film in his celebrated war trilogy—entwines the story of one man’s moral crisis with the fate of a nation. In a small Polish town on the final day of World War II, Maciek (the coolly charismatic Zbigniew Cybulski), a fighter in the underground anti-Communist resistance movement, has orders to assassinate an incoming commissar. But when he meets and falls for a young barmaid (Ewa Krzyżewska), he begins to question his commitment to a cause that requires him to risk his life. Ashes and Diamonds’ lustrous monochrome cinematography—wreathed in shadows, smoke, and fog—and spectacularly choreographed set pieces lend a breathtaking visual dynamism to this urgent, incendiary vision of a country at a crossroads in its struggle for self-determination.

6:15 PM

Everything for sale / Wszystko na sprzedaż (1969) 
dir. Andrzej Wajda 1h 45min
Trailer

When a famous actor mysteriously vanishes, a film director begins shooting a movie about his disappearance. Blending documentary-style realism with fictionalized drama, the line between art and life begins to blur. Friends, lovers, and collaborators grapple with grief and guilt, revealing their own desires and insecurities.

8:15 PM

The Promised Land /  Ziemia obiecana (1975) 
dir. Andrzej Wajda 2h 50min
Trailer

In the ruthless industrial city of Lodz at the turn of the 20th century, three friends Polish, Jewish, and German dream of building a factory that will bring them unimaginable wealth. But in chasing success, they are drawn into a world of exploitation, betrayal, and moral decay.

4:30 PM

Forest / Las documentary (2024)
dir. Lidia Duda 1h 24min
Trailer

Young, brimming with hope, and striving to build a better life for their children and themselves, Asia and Marek, have relocated to the edge of one of Europe’s oldest forests, along Poland’s eastern border. For their three children, the forest is not only a vast playground but also something akin to a second home. However, as the refugee crisis casts its long shadow on the whole of Europe and Poland’s borders turn into one of the central scenes of this drama, with unwelcome refugees trapped between two countries, the family’s quiet days seem numbered. Aiding “illegal immigrants” is prohibited by their country’s laws, but how does one refuse to help someone in need? Discovering a captivating, poetic equilibrium between the deeply personal and the essentially political, Forest brings to the forefront the natural landscape, as well as the characters’ emotional environment, crafting a film that resonates loudly and goes beyond pompous statements. 

6:15 PM

KATYŃ (2007)
dir. Andrzej Wajda 2h 01min
Trailer

Wajda confronts one of Poland’s deepest wounds: the 1940 Katyn massacre. Told through the eyes of the victims’ families, the film examines the human cost of historical lies and political erasure. When the Soviet Union invades Poland on September 17, 1939, Anna Aleksandrowna leaves her home in Kraków to search for her husband, Captain Andrzej, a Polish officer. She finds him among others captured by the Red Army, but he is quickly deported to a prison camp in Kozelsk, Russia. Trapped in the Soviet-occupied zone with her daughter Nika, Anna is unable to return to German-controlled Kraków—until a courageous Russian captain helps them escape. On April 3, 1940, Andrzej is transported to the Katyn Forest, where thousands of Polish officers are executed; in 1943, the Germans discover the mass graves and begin announcing names in Kraków, but Anna finds hope when Andrzej’s name is not listed. After the Red Army liberates Kraków in January 1945, the Soviets falsely blame the massacre on the Germans and claim it occurred in 1941, punishing anyone who dares to speak the truth.

8:30 PM

The Girl with the Needle/ Dziewczyna z igłą (2024) 
Dir. Magnus von Horn 2h 03min
Trailer

Set in 1919 Copenhagen, the story follows a young woman, played by Vic Carmen Sonne, who begins working as a wet nurse at a secretive adoption agency for disadvantaged mothers. As she grows increasingly suspicious of the woman running the operation, she uncovers a series of unexplained disappearances linked to the home for unwed mothers. Loosely inspired by the true story of Danish serial killer Dagmar Overbye, the film explores the dark depths of a chilling conspiracy and the moral limits one must confront in the face of horror.

1:30 PM

Man of Iron / Człowiek z żelaza (1981)
dir. Andrzej Wajda 2h 26min
Trailer

Man of Iron follows the story of the son of Mateusz Birkut, who has become one of the leaders of the strike at the Gdańsk Shipyard. The role of the TV reporter Winkel, sent to discredit him, is played by the brilliant Marian Opania. His career-driven journalist, influenced by the events of August 1980, eventually switches sides and joins the opposition.

The film was awarded the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

4:30 PM

The True Story of Tamara Lempicka & The Art of Survival (2024)
dir. Julie Rubio 1h 36min
Trailer

The first feature-length documentary about the extraordinary painter Tamara de Lempicka—who was the subject of a recent Broadway musical—Julie Rubio’s film provides an essential and riveting account of a woman who defied all rules. Narrated by Anjelica Huston, and featuring newly discovered material, including 8mm home movies, Rubio’s film is a tribute to an undimmed luminary and an investigation into the sociohistorical and psychological realities that create artistic legacy.  

6:30 PM

Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold / Kulej. Dwie strony medalu (2024)
dir. Xawery Zuawski 2h 28min
Trailer

The dramatic rise and fall of Jerzy Kulej, Poland’s legendary Olympic boxer. A raw biopic exploring both his athletic triumphs and the battles he fought outside the ring.

DAY 2
Wednesday, MAY 28
DGA Theater
110 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019

NYPFF Gala NIGHT with Special Guest – director Martin Scorsese

7:15 PM
ASHES AND DIAMONDS / POPIÓŁ i DIAMEND (1958)
dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1h43min.
Introduced by Martin Scorsese

DAY 3
Thursday, MAY 29
SCANDINAVIA HOUSE
58 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016

6:15 PM
EVERYTHING FOR SALE / WSZYTSKO NA SPRZEDAŻ (1969)
dir. Andrzej Wajda 1h45min
Introduced by Rafal Syska

8:15 PM
THE PROMISED LAND / ZIEMIA OBIECANA (1975) dir. Andrzej Wajda, 2h50min.
Introduced by Annette Insdorf

DAY 4
Friday, MAY 30
SCANDINAVIA HOUSE
58 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016

4:30 PM
FOREST / LAS, doc. (2024)
dir Lidia Duda, 1h24min

6:15
KATYŃ (2007)
dir A. Wajda, 2h1min
Introduced by Rafal Syska

8:30 PM
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE / DZIEWCZYNA Z IGŁĄ (2024)
dir. Magnus von Horn, 2h3min

DAY 5
Saturday, MAY 31
SCANDINAVIA HOUSE
58 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016

1:30 PM
MAN OF IRON / CZŁOWIEK Z ŻELAZA (1981)
dir. A. Wajda, 2h 26min
Introduced by Rafal Syska

4:30 PM
THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA ŁEMPICKA & THE ART OF SURVIVAL (2024)
dir. Julie Rubio, 1h36min

6:30 PM
KULEJ. ALL THE GLITTERS ISN’T GOLD / KULEJ. DWI STRONY MEDALU (2024)
dir. Xawery Żuławski, 2h 28 min