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SUMMARY:Bezalel and Cinema Spiegel Pay Tribute to Andrzej Wajda
UID:https://instytutpolski.pl/telaviv/en/2026/10/20/bezalel-and-cinema-spiegel-pay-tribute-to-andrzej-wajda/
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DTSTAMP:20261103
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DESCRIPTION:Andrzej Wajda was one of the most prominent and influential directors in
Polish and European cinema. Over decades of filmmaking, he explored memory,
history, identity, and the relationship between the individual and broader
political and social processes. His distinctive cinematic language and his
ability to connect personal narratives with Polish history have made his
work an important point of reference for a new generation of filmmakers.
In collaboration with the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv, a summer course
dedicated to Wajda’s work and legacy took place on 5-8 October at the
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, under the title The Social
and the Political as Cinematic Image – A Tribute to Andrzej Wajda. Led by
Benjamin Friedenberg, screenwriter, director, lecturer, and film scholar,
the course combined theoretical study with practical work. Students watched
films, analysed Wajda’s cinematic language, and explored how cinema can
engage with memory, history, society, and identity. They then translated
the themes and ideas discussed during the course into their own independent
creative projects.
Two guests from Poland joined Friedenberg, bringing complementary
perspectives on Polish cinema.
Łukasz Konopa is a Polish documentary filmmaker. He studied sociology at
the University of Warsaw and earned a degree in documentary filmmaking from
the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in the United Kingdom. His
films have been screened at international festivals, and his film After
received the CILECT Award for Best Documentary. His work combines social
and human observation with a distinctive documentary approach.
Dr. Katarzyna Taras is a film scholar and historian, critic, and lecturer
at the Łódź Film School. Her research focuses, among other subjects, on
contemporary Polish cinema and the theory of cinematography. She has
published books and articles on Polish cinema and its visual language.
Meeting Konopa and Taras allowed students to approach Wajda’s legacy from
two complementary perspectives: contemporary filmmaking and documentary
practice on the one hand, and film scholarship, criticism, and the analysis
of Polish cinema and its visual language on the other.
The aim of the course was not simply to study Wajda as a historical figure,
but to use his work as a starting point for contemporary creative practice.
The combination of Benjamin Friedenberg’s guidance, direct encounters
with film professionals from Poland, and hands-on work enabled students to
explore how ideas of memory, place, identity, and history could find new
expression in their own work.
During the course, students developed short video works inspired by the
films, discussions, and materials they explored. Their encounter with
Wajda’s legacy thus evolved from a process of study and reflection into a
starting point for new, contemporary creative work.
The students’ works will be screened on 24 November at Cinema Spiegel,
the cinema of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem, as
part of a month-long tribute to Andrzej Wajda. Alongside the student films,
the programme will feature screenings of three of Wajda’s most notable
films, introductions by film and history scholars, and a panel discussion
with filmmakers.
 
A Tribute to Andrzej Wajda at Cinema Spiegel – November 2026
Tuesday, 3 November, 20:00
Man of Iron (1981)| Directed by Andrzej Wajda
A political drama set against the backdrop of the workers’ strikes in
Poland in 1980 and the rise of the Solidarity movement. A journalist is
assigned to document the story of a Gdańsk shipyard worker. As he
investigates, he uncovers the conflict between the communist authorities
and the workers’ movement, as well as the personal cost of the struggle
for freedom.
Introduction by Prof. Raya Morag.
 
Tuesday, 10 November, 20:00
The Promised Land (1975) | Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Set in the industrial city of Łódź at the end of the nineteenth century,
this drama follows three young men—Polish, Jewish, and German—who join
forces to establish a textile factory. In their pursuit of success in the
capitalist world, they confront greed, worker exploitation, and the moral
cost of ambition.
Introduction by director Laura Bialis (in English).
 
Tuesday, 17 November, 20:00
Kanal (1957) | Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Set during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the film follows a group of
resistance fighters attempting to escape through the city’s sewers after
the uprising has failed. Through their dark and perilous journey, Wajda
portrays the despair, sacrifice, and struggle for survival in the
uprising’s final days.
Introduction by Prof. Daniel Blatman.
 
Tuesday, 24 November
18:00 – Screening of student films
Video works created as part of the course The Social and the Political as
Cinematic Image – A Tribute to Andrzej Wajda at the Bezalel Academy of
Arts and Design in Jerusalem.
 
19:30 – Filmmakers’ panel

	


Dani Rosenberg, director



	


Natali Braun, director



	


Shani Kiniso, film critic



	


Bisan Tibi, director
 




20:30 – Ashes and Diamonds (1958) | Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Poland, 1945. On the day the Second World War ends in Europe, a young man
belonging to the anti-communist underground is ordered to assassinate a
senior communist activist. However, an unexpected encounter and the
emotions it awakens lead him to question his mission. The film explores the
tension between political loyalty, personal conscience, and the hope for a
different future.
 
Moments from the film and animation workshop at Bezalel, featuring guest
lecturers from Poland Łukasz Konopa and Dr. Katarzyna Taras.
    
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