Spanning more than six decades, Wajda\u2019s work made him one of the central voices of Polish cinema after the Second World War. His films repeatedly explored the intersections of personal and national history, memory, identity and politics, examining how historical events and political realities shape the lives of individuals and entire societies. His work received wide international recognition, and in 2000 he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to world cinema.<\/p>\n
Throughout November, four of Wajda\u2019s most important films will be screened<\/strong>, representing different periods in his career and offering an opportunity to revisit the themes that occupied him throughout his life. The screenings will be accompanied by introductions from film scholar Prof. Yair Lev, filmmaker Laura Bialis and film director, cinema scholar and lecturer Benjamin Friedenberg<\/strong>, who will offer different perspectives on Wajda\u2019s work and the historical and cultural contexts in which the films were made.<\/p>\n The closing evening, on 24 November, will also focus on a dialogue between Wajda\u2019s work and a new generation of filmmakers. As part of a collaboration between the Polish Institute and the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, a special course entitled The Social and the Political as Cinematic Images \u2013 A Tribute to Andrzej Wajda<\/em> was held in October. The course was led by Benjamin Friedenberg and included film and academic professionals from Poland<\/strong>. As part of the course, students created short films inspired by Wajda\u2019s work, which will be screened during the closing evening. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring directors Dani Rosenberg, Netali Braun and Bissan Tibi, alongside film critic Shani Kiniso<\/strong>. The evening will conclude with a screening of Wajda\u2019s film Afterimage<\/em> (2016), his final film, about Polish artist W\u0142adys\u0142aw Strzemi\u0144ski and his confrontation with the communist regime in Poland.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Screening Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n Tuesday, 3 November | 19:30 \u2013 Man of Marble<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Poland, 1977 | Directed by Andrzej Wajda, 157 min<\/b><\/p>\n Polish with <\/b>English<\/b>\u00a0subtitles<\/b><\/p>\n A young film student sets out to investigate the story of Mateusz Birkut, a bricklayer celebrated as a working-class hero in the 1950s who later vanished from public view. Through newsreels, interviews and archival footage, she uncovers the gulf between a state-manufactured legend and the life behind it. Wajda turns a filmmaker\u2019s investigation into a gripping political drama about the creation and erasure of heroes and the camera\u2019s power to challenge official history.<\/span><\/p>\n Introduction in Hebrew: Benjamin Freidenberg<\/p>\n <\/p>\n