On Friday (5 November), an exhibition presenting the most important Polish films from 1908–2008 in chronological order will be held in front of Forum cinema. This brief history of film is told through stills, excerpts from old reviews, film dialogue, commentary, analyses and poems. The films were selected by Rafał Marszałek and Andrzej Bukowiecki. The exhibition is curated by Natalia Chojna.
The organizers invite visitors to the opening at 7:00 p.m. The evening will feature screenings of the two oldest Polish films: “Prussian Culture” (1908) and “A Strong Man” (1929). Both films were considered lost. Years later, they were found in foreign archives. “Prussian Culture” is the oldest surviving Polish film, addressing the struggle against Polish identity and Germanization in the German partition. It places particular emphasis on the protests by school students in Września against religious instruction in German. “A Strong Man” is a treasure of Polish cinematography directed by Henryk Szaro. It is an adaptation of a novel by Stanisław Przybyszewski, a precursor of the bohemian movement and its leading representative of decadence. It is a psychological drama about a man consumed by a demonic desire for fame. It is an excellent study of an artist who loses the struggle against his own conscience.
A taper will perform a contemporary live musical accompaniment to the screening of one of the most interesting Polish silent films from the collections of the National Film Archive. The exhibition will be on display throughout November.
(BOK-MCC information)