Andrzej Wajda: chroniqueur of Polish History
Amsterdam Polish Film Festival
The 5th edition of the Amsterdam Polish Film Festival is entirely dedicated to Andrzej Wajda, one of the fathers of Polish cinema, and chroniqueur of Polish history.
Ten years ago, Andrzej Wajda died, marking the loss of one of the greatest names in Polish cinema. Drawing inspiration from Italian Neorealism, Wajda (born in 1926) was one of the founders of the Polish Film School and made an immeasurable contribution to Polish national consciousness. From his 1955 debut A Generation (Pokolenie), the first part of an acclaimed trilogy about Poland during the Second World War, to his final film Afterimage, released shortly before his death in 2016, Wajda portrayed the turbulent history of (mostly) twentieth-century Poland in more than forty feature films.
Wajda began making films when Poland was still a communist dictatorship. At a time when world history was being shaken by powerful ideologies, Wajda placed the individual, and their individual choices, at the centre of these historical upheavals. In his films, he boldly criticised those in power and sharply and unsentimentally exposed the mismatch between propaganda and lived reality. This repeatedly brought him into conflict with the communist censors. His acclaimed Man of Marble, a dissection of communist propaganda, was initially kept out of film theaters. After the release Man of Iron, about the Polish workers’ strikes organised by the Solidarność trade union – for which he received the Palme d’Or in Cannes – Wajda was forced to temporarily leave his home country.
Wajda maintained close ties with Solidarność. and its leader, Lech Wałęsa. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, he even briefly served as a member of the Polish Parliament on behalf of Solidarność. It is a testament to the political engagement that runs through Wajda’s films. For Wajda, cinema was not merely a means of portraying the reality of the world, but above all a lever for bringing about change.
Amsterdam Polish Film Festival: Innocent Sorcerers
Amsterdam Polish Film Festival: The Promised Land
Amsterdam Polish Film Festival: Man of Marble / Man of Iron
Amsterdam Polish Film Festival: Afterimage
Wajda’s Legacy: documentaries from The Wajda School
The 5th edition of the Amsterdam Polish Film Festival is entirely dedicated to Andrzej Wajda, the renowned Polish director who received an Academy Award in 2000 for his lifetime achievement. With screenings of a number of his masterpieces, we join the celebration of Wajda Year, marking what would have been his 100th birthday and the
