Two guests from Poland joined Friedenberg, bringing complementary perspectives on Polish cinema.<\/p>\n
\u0141ukasz Konopa<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n Dr. Katarzyna Taras<\/strong> is a film scholar and historian, critic, and lecturer at the \u0141\u00f3d\u017a 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.<\/p>\n Meeting Konopa and Taras allowed students to approach Wajda\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n During the course, students developed short video works inspired by the films, discussions, and materials they explored<\/strong>. Their encounter with Wajda\u2019s legacy thus evolved from a process of study and reflection into a starting point for new, contemporary creative work.<\/p>\n The students\u2019 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\u2019s most notable films, introductions by film and history scholars, and a panel discussion with filmmakers.<\/strong><\/p>\n A Tribute to Andrzej Wajda at Cinema Spiegel \u2013 November 2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Tuesday, 3 November, 20:00<\/strong><\/p>\n Man of Iron (1981)| Directed by Andrzej Wajda<\/p>\n A political drama set against the backdrop of the workers\u2019 strikes in Poland in 1980 and the rise of the Solidarity movement. A journalist is assigned to document the story of a Gda\u0144sk shipyard worker. As he investigates, he uncovers the conflict between the communist authorities and the workers\u2019 movement, as well as the personal cost of the struggle for freedom.<\/p>\n Introduction by Prof. Raya Morag.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tuesday, 10 November, 20:00<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Promised Land (1975) | Directed by Andrzej Wajda<\/p>\n Set in the industrial city of \u0141\u00f3d\u017a at the end of the nineteenth century, this drama follows three young men\u2014Polish, Jewish, and German\u2014who 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.<\/p>\n Introduction by director Laura Bialis (in English).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tuesday, 17 November, 20:00<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Kanal (1957) | Directed by Andrzej Wajda<\/p>\n Set during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the film follows a group of resistance fighters attempting to escape through the city\u2019s sewers after the uprising has failed. Through their dark and perilous journey, Wajda portrays the despair, sacrifice, and struggle for survival in the uprising\u2019s final days.<\/p>\n Introduction by Prof. Daniel Blatman.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tuesday, 24 November<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 18:00 \u2013 Screening of student films<\/p>\n Video works created as part of the course The Social and the Political as Cinematic Image \u2013 A Tribute to Andrzej Wajda at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 19:30 \u2013 Filmmakers\u2019 panel<\/p>\n Dani Rosenberg, director<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Natali Braun, director<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Shani Kiniso, film critic<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Bisan Tibi, director<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 20:30 \u2013 Ashes and Diamonds (1958) | Directed by Andrzej Wajda<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Moments from the film and animation workshop at Bezalel, featuring guest lecturers from Poland \u0141ukasz Konopa and Dr. Katarzyna Taras.<\/p>\n 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":8537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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