Agnieszka Holland
On January 27th, leading Polish director Agnieszka Holland will hold the Freedom Lecture. In her Academy Awards-nominated films Europa Europa (1990) and In Darkness (2011) she depicts the dramatic history of Europe.
In her most recent dystopian Netflix series 1983 (2018), Holland describes a Poland where communism has not fallen yet and authoritarianism and isolationism are omnipresent.
During the Freedom lecture, Agnieszka Holland will address the dangers of authoritarianism for Europe. For her generation, the threat of authoritarian regimes has never been far away, and that is why she is able to precisely interpret the current state of Poland and the limitations of acquired liberties. She also refers to the concept of freedom. If the Poles vote for a party like PiS, should we not accept that they would like an authoritarian leader? Is the concept of ‘freedom’ sometimes overrated? Perhaps in times of uncertainty and modern challenges, people are looking for a strong leader who tells them what to do.
But what do you do as a filmmaker when, fantasy and dystopian scenarios seem to breach more and more into everyday reality? Do you still dare to make everything you would like to make? And what is your role and responsibility as a filmmaker in warning against dangerous tendencies in society?
About Agnieszka Holland
The Polish director Holland (1948) broke through in the Polish New Gulf in the 1970s and built an impressive career in both Europe and America. In all politically engaged work, the tension between conformism and resistance is central. Holland also directed several films in America and episodes of series such as The Wire, The Killing and House of Cards.
This programme is a collaboration with IFFR.
The Freedom lecture on Tour: Agnieszka Holland will be held on Saturday January 26th (19:00-20:30) in the Hilton Hotel in Rotterdam.
‘The reality of authoritarianism is not gone and forgotten in Europe’
Speakers
