The 5th Amsterdam Polish Film Festival, organised by Polish Culture NL in collaboration with De Balie, shines a spotlight on Polish cinema. As part of the festival, the exhibition Designing Wajda: Five Decades of the Polish Poster School presents a rich collection of film posters designed for the films of one of Poland’s most prominent filmmakers, Andrzej Wajda.
Andrzej Wajda made films for over fifty years, through a Poland that kept changing the rules on what could be said and how. The twenty-four posters on display, created for sixteen of his films, show how Polish poster artists transformed film promotion into an art form of its own.
Through image and metaphor, the posters did more than illustrate the films: they shaped how audiences encountered and understood them. For newcomers, the exhibition offers an introduction to Polish design history. For those familiar with Wajda’s films, it is a chance to rediscover them through the eyes of the artists who first introduced them to the public.
The posters are on loan from the collection of the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź. The exhibition was prepared by Polish Culture NL as part of the fifth edition of the Amsterdam Polish Film Festival 22.10 – 1.11.2026
On display there will be 30 works by the finest Polish graphic artists: Jan Lenica, Roman Cieślewicz, Waldemar Świerzy, Franciszek Starowieyski, Marcin Mroszczak, Wojciech Fangor, to name but a few.
About Polish Culture NL
The Polish Culture NL Foundation is dedicated to showcasing and sharing the richness and diversity of Polish culture in the Netherlands. Through a variety of events, exhibitions, and artistic collaborations, the foundation presents Poland’s contributions to art, literature, music, and film to the public. By fostering cultural exchange and dialogue, the foundation creates opportunities for both the Dutch and Polish communities to connect, share, and appreciate the dynamic spirit of Polish creativity.
