The celebration of Polish movies returns to the cinematheques for a month of fantastic movies which will take place during June 2023 in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa.

Focused on Polish cinema, these events are a homage to the best cinematic works Poland produces and will be held throughout the country including a screening of important Polish movies in a

variety of genres, some of these films are brand new and some are classics shared at this festive event which became a local tradition we began in 2019 in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz

Institute from Poland.

For the first time since Polish Zoom began in 2019, the events include a cooperation with the Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival.

Director Agnieszka Smoczynska will take part in a screening of The Silent Twins, which she created, in a special event which will be a joint production of the TISFF and Polish Zoom, she will offer

workshops to Israeli and Polish students.

In addition, Polish film students who participate at TISFF will be hosted by their fellow Film Students at Tel Aviv University and the two groups will take shared cinema workshops.

During the opening of the festival the Tel Aviv Cinematque will screen on Monday, June 5 at 20:30, the film

BREAD AND SALT (2022) directed by Damian Kocur.

Tymoteusz, a pianist and a student at the Warsaw Academy of Music returns to a vacation at his provincial hometown, where it seems time stood still. He was awarded a scholarship to study

music at Western Europe and spends the remaining time before he departs with his friends and brother at the main hang out spot of the town. Soon, Tymoteusz will find himself involved in a

conflict between local youngsters and a group of Arab immigrants. The film won eight awards at various international festivals, among them the judges choice at last year’s Venice Film festival.

The name of the movie is an ironic reference to the symbolic depth of welcoming guests, this is both a hint and a criticism of Polish and European hospitality and how foreigners are treated. 100

minutes, Polish with Hebrew subtitles.

Screening: The opening event of Polish Zoom Monday, June 5, 20:30 p.m. at Tel Aviv Cinematheque; Wednesday June 7th Haifa Cinematheque 20:00; Tuesday June 13th at 20:30 Jerusalem

Cinematheque 

Backwards (2022) directed by Jacek Lusinski

In 1989, Maryśka, a young woman, raises her son Darek. Darek is very withdrawn and behaves oddly, only after he is expelled from kindergarten he is diagnosed as autistic. Those around the

small family do not offer much help but Maryska is positive her son is intelligent and deserves loving, patient education. She reads every article written about autism and studies everything which

may help her son, her fierce struggle is mostly against an uncaring establishment and thanks to it she is able to produce a remarkable change in the Polish education system.  

The film brings to light her 20 years-long insistence, the efforts she took for her only son, Darek, the unconventional actions she takes which go against the rules and inspired others, offering

them motivation. Director Jacek Lusinski was very much influenced by spending time at centers for disabled children where he met mothers who told him personal histories of partners who

simply abandoned them when it was discovered the child is abnormal. He met mothers to children who are on the autistic spectrum in Poland from across the country.

102 minutes. Polish with Hebrew subtitles.

Actors: Małgorzata Gorol, Andrzej Seweryn, Marta Malikowka

Screenings: Tuesday, June 6 at 18:30, Tel Aviv Cinematheque; Saturday, June 10 Haifa Cinematheque (Rapaport Hall) 19:30; Thursday, June 15 at 18:00 Jerusalem Cinematheque Hall 1.

Apokawixa (2022) directed by Xawery Zulawski

An award winning Polish horror- comedy. A group of high school graduates, exhausted and fatigued from the quarantines and online studies, depart to the Baltic coast to celebrate. The evening

begins with a happy party which has the beach, dances, sex, alcohol, love and disappointment. Yes things slowly go out of hand. 120 minutes. Polish with Hebrew subtitles.

Actors: Mikołaj Kubacki, Waleria Gorobets, Monika Mikołajczak

Screening: Wednesday, June 7th, 21:30 p.m. at Tel Aviv Cinematheque (Horror Film Club); Thursday, June 8, Haifa Cinematheque 20:45; Monday, June 12, 20:30 p.m. Jerusalem Cinematheque Hall 1.

The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973) Directed by Wojciech Has

An adaptation to the novel by Bruno Schultz, a brilliant Polish-Jewish writer who was murdered in the Holocaust – a poetic reflection on the passage of time and the necessary finality of death.

These are shown through the story of Joseph, the protagonist, as he visits the sanatorium where his late father stayed at and is transformed to a world of surrealist imagination and mysterious

symbols. Joseph begins to re-live what he experienced, his childhood home, the Jewish town, a father who could not relate to him, childhood dreams, and the wonderful garden Bianca kept. A

magical princess who rejected his love and chose his friend Rudolf instead. When he returns to his town of origin he finds in it a shattered world. Joseph tries to revive that world, these life, but it

is not possible. Winer of the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. 124 minutes. Polish with Hebrew titles.

Actors: Jan Nowicki, Tadeusz Kondrat, Gustaw Holubek

Before the Tel Aviv screening an English language talk will be held with Benjamin Balint concerning Shultz. Balint recently published a book on the Polish-Jewish writer titled Bruno Schultz: An

Artist. A Murder, and the Hijacking of History

Screening: June 8, 14:00 Tel Aviv Cinematheque Hall 1; Jerusalem June 19 at 20:30 Hall 2 ; Haifa June 15 Rapaport Hall 18:00

Jealousy and Medicine (1973) directed by Janusz Majewski

 Poland in the 1930’s, Widmar, a wealthy industrialist, suspects his sexy wife Ewa is having an affair with her medical doctor, an esteemed man who operated on her. He is obsessive and his

jealousy knows no bounds, he tries to verify his suspicion and avenge. This is an excellent black comedy with sets and shots which correctly depict wealthy life in interwar Europe, to which the

tango soundtrack adds a great deal. 110 minutes, Polish with Hebrew titles.

Actors: Ewa Krzyżewska, Mariusz Dmochowski, Andrzej Łapicki

Screening: Friday, June 9, 14:00 Tel Aviv Cinematheque; Wednesday June 14 18:00 Jerusalem Cinematheque Hall 2; Thursday June 22 at 18:30 at Haifa Cinematheque

The Silent Twins (2022) Directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska

Based on a the bestselling, same titled book, this is the true life story of Joan and Jennifer Gibbons. Twin sisters who grew up in Wales as members of the only black family in their town. The two

girls refused to speak with other people and created their own language to communicate with themselves. As teens, already young women, they are sent to an infamous psychiatric ward and

must decide if they are able to live separately or die together. The movie was shown in important festivals around the world including Cannes. 112 minutes. English with Hebrew titles.

Acting: Letitia Wright, Tamara Lawrance

The movie will be screened as part of this year’s cooperation between Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Institute Tel Aviv, and the Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival.

The director is meant to visit Israel for this screening and speak with patrons. 

An article on the film.

Screening: Thursday June 29th 16:30, Tel Aviv Cinematheque

Woman on the Roof (2022) Directed by Anna Jadowska

Mira is 60 years old and leads a quiet, orderly life. Every day she goes to the roof of her house and put the laundry to dry, heads to the market to buy fish, returns home and cooks for herself and

her husband. Thirsty for warmth and love. One day she heads to the roof, puts the wet clothes on the wire to dry, and leaves her house with a bold decision – to robe a bank. The great actress

Doroty Pomykał won international prizes for her role here. 97 minutes, Polish with Hebrew titles.

Acting: Dorota Pomykała, Bogdan Koca, Adam Bobik

Screening: Saturday, June 10, 21:00 Tel Aviv Cinematheque; Sunday, June 11 at 18:00 Jerusalem Cinematheque Hall 1; Sunday June 25, Haifa Cinematheque Rapaport Hall 18:30

Filip (2022) Directed by Michal Kwiecnski

A cinema adaptation to the autobiographical novel by Polish writer Leopold Tyrmand. After all his relatives are taken from their home in Poland 23 years old Filip is able to escape thanks to his

fluent French and fake papers. He works as a waiter at a fancy hotel, where many of the Nazi elites stay at. Filip can feel nothing but the need to avenge. Between good meals, champagne on

the pool and balls, he gets even with Nazi party leaders by seducing their wives. All this as his world crumbles and falls like a house of cards. 125 minutes. Polish with Hebrew titles.

Acting: Eryk Kulm, Victor Meutelet, Caroline Hartig

Screening: Monday, June 12, 18:00 Tel Aviv Cinematheque; Sunday, June 18, 18:00 Jerusalem Cinematheque Hall 1; June 29 Haifa Cinematheque Rapaport Hall 20:15

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