Polish Film Festival Los Angeles will open on October 7 and will run until October 16. 2014 marks the 15th anniversary of this successful film festival that presents the best of Polish cinema in Hollywood every year. Here is the complete program of the festival:
OPENING NIGHT GALA
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA. 90028
6:00 PM RECEPTION (Catering by Turek; bar by Shekspeare Vodka)
8:00 PM OPENING OF THE FESTIVAL– Zbigniew Banas (MC)
HB Barnum LIFE Choir – Polish & American National Anthems
Presentation of Awards
Screening of SOPHIE SEEKS 7 (Facet (nie)potrzebny od zaraz) by Weronika Migon
(in person: Weronika Migon, Michal Czernecki)
Zosia (Katarzyna Maciąg) breaks up with her boyfriend (Łukasz Garlicki) after she catches him cheating. She is forced to begin a new chapter in her life as a single woman. As this wasn’t hard enough, there is a wedding coming up which Zosia must be a part of, and which she simply cannot attend as a “spinster”. Convinced by her friend (Joanna Kulig), she decides to find all the significant men from her past, and to make sure she has not missed a great love… Maybe one of her exes is that one and only?
Laemmle’s NoHo7 Theatre, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 (310-478-3836):
Wednesday, October 8, 2014 (in person: Zbigniew Czapla, Antoni Pawlicki)
7:00 p.m. Animation Program: BEACH (Plaza) by Pawel Prewencki (4 min.) A summer, lazy day at the beach. The wind unhurriedly turns the pages of a book read by one of the sunbathers stretching in the sand. In boiling sun the bodies seem to melt like ice lollipop. Only cold water that delicately washes out the feet brings the relieve. This sluggish morning will get suddenly interrupted by the lunch pause. It won’t be long till the rubbish left by the sunbathers begin their own march and then rest in the sand as the tired, sun setting down will set to sleep. An engaging, erotically swaying BEACH by Prewencki is an animated impression of one summer day that brings a clear, ecological meaning.
ENDEMIT’S GREED by Natalia Dziedzic (11 min.) At the seaside beach fates of balding sailor, young girl and two modest creatures – the bee and the crab are tangling. Going after their greediness, they are meeting themselves by the stall with waffles. This is animated story about primal desires, which are present in the human nature.
EX ANIMO by Wojciech Wojtkowski (7 min.) Animated impression. Images conjured up by the animator form a two-dimensional reality of their own. Absurd and unrelated scenes describe the 
rules governing the world confined to a sheet of paper and animation technique. The relationships between the characters seem strangely familiar.
THE GOVERNANCE OF LOVE (O rzadach milosci) by Adela Kaczmarek (13 min.) What if, instead of bombs, we dropped watermelons? Dreamy and hopeful, this animated short sweeps us up into a colorful world where layers of reality and creativity intersect. Our protagonist navigates through it all seamlessly, and in the process shows us the importance of imagination.
MOONSHINE by Michal Poniedzielski (11 min.) Dark, yet spiced with black humor love story told form the edge of reality and nightmare. Main character, rejected by cold and demonic woman of his dreams embarks on a surreal and oneiric journey towards his fate, following a mysterious crescent moon. The world of MOONSHINE is created from the mixture of three techniques – flat animation, 3D and live acting. On a backdrop of black and white photography the characters – actors as well asanimated creatures – live through their nightmare accompanied by equally murky Tom Waits’ song “Way Down in The Hole”.
POCHLEBA by Barbara Mydlak (4 min.) Animated variation about a poem for children written by the Polish author Jan Brzechwa. It tells the story of an old but cunning spider, eager for a meal. The story can also be read as a metaphor for the consumptive nature of developing towns.
SPIDER AND FLIES (Pajak i muchy) by Tessa Moult-Milewska (4 min.) Animated variation about a poem for children written by the Polish author Jan Brzechwa. It tells the story of an old but cunning spider, eager for a meal. The story can also be read as a metaphor for the consumptive nature of developing towns.
SUMMER 2014 (Lato 2014) by Wojciech Sobczyk (13 min.) Summer 2014, a kind of an author animated impression about human nature in relation to the past and present. Summer here is the season of war, starvation and death…
THE TENEMENT BUILDING (Kamienica) by Agnieszka Burszewska (13 min.) Black comedy dealing with world without love problem. It is dilapidated, the tenants are not very well-off, and what is more they don’t have enough food. They are very kind to each other, and cultivate good manners. However, their behavior is marked by artificiality and exaggeration, caused by the specific tradition they cultivate. The biggest problem in the tenement is the lack of food. The restaurant, is the only place where animals can eat. In the world full of competition and hostility, the lack of food is the big problem. Eating food leads to temporarily satisfy the desires. The gluttony is the biggest sin which can cause imminent doom.
TO THY HEART (Do serca twego) by Ewa Borysewicz (10 min.) He was handsome, had raven‑black hair and stood by a swing. When he smiled, eyes would stand on end. Life with him was colorful – when he gave rein to his paranoia, she would do whatever he said. She wanted to listen to him talking up all the night. He ate her thighs with relish. And then she stopped pinning her hopes on him. She refused to forgive him betrayal. Ewa Borysewicz’s animation is a secular litany and a story of a relationship, resounding through a tower block estate, which ended with bitter disappointment.
TOTO by Zbigniew Czapla (12 min.) A kaleidoscope of events filled to the brim with suspense and awe, is an universal story of naivete and irreversibly lost infant dreams. If we lack the word to name the phenomenon, we don’t know precisely what happened.
VANITAS by Kamila & Miroslam Sosnowski (7 min.) Hope, perdition, memory. VANITAS is symbolic story about three stages of human life, shown by the example of the history of one woman.
9:00 p.m. PAPUSZA by Joanna & Krzysztof Krauze (131 min.) Drama based on the true story of the first Roma – gypsy – poet, Bronislawa “Papusza” Wajs, a woman aware of her proprietary voice, not only of her life but the life of the Roma community during the first half of the 20th century. When Papusza meets Polish poet Jerzy Ficowski, he encourages her to write down her poems and eventually has them translated into Polish and published in the public circuit – thanks in part to the efforts of Polish poet Julian Tuwim who was enchanted by Papusza’s lyrical prose. The literary output of Papusza presented a true sense of the Roma community that permanently enriched the Polish culture and gave insight into the “gypsy soul”.
Thursday, October 9, 2014 (in person: Nadja Ropac, Piotr Stasik, Douglas Wood, Wendy Waldman)
7:00 p.m. Doc. & Shorts1: FIGHTER’S ROOM by Slav Zatoka (16 min.) A 32-year-old female boxer, Nadja Ropac, turns her love of boxing into a professional career typically dominated by men. A former kick boxer, she trains in the famous La Habra Boxing Club under the watchful eye of David Martinez, a decorated war hero and the director of an open door La Habra Boxing Foundation that has produced champions like Librado Andrade, Julio Gonzales and Enrique Ornelas. Slav Zatoka, a photographer turned filmmaker, follows Nadja during the first few months of her professional career in a beautifully filmed short.
A DIARY OF A JOURNEY (Dziennik z podrozy) by Piotr Stasik (52 min.) Tadeusz Rolke, an aged master of Polish photography, has more than just a typical teacher-student relationship with 15-year-old Michał. Together, they travel across Poland to take portrait photographs of the residents of small towns and villages while the dark room placed in their camper enables them to develop pictures on the spot and give them to the models whom they accidentally met. For the boy, this is an excellent opportunity to find out about the arcana of traditional photography. For both – an opportunity to experience a beautiful friendship.
ENTANGLEMENT by Douglas Wood (24 min.) An independent living facility for the elderly is the unlikely setting for this comedy-drama about the explosive love triangle that develops when a 40-year-old man visits his estranged father and unexpectedly falls for the object of his aging dad’s affections – a sexy senior citizen named Vera.
9:00 p.m. SHAMELESS (Bez wstydu) by Filip Marczewski (80 min.) A story of forbidden love. An 18-year-old Tadek feels overwhelmed by his feelings for his sister and wants to prove worthy of the affection regardless of the consequences. His sister feels lost, living in a relationship with the local neo-fascist group leader, and she longs for intimacy and tenderness as much as her brother does. Then, a 17-year-old Gypsy Irmina appears. She is dreaming about a breakaway and believes Tadek can help her…
Friday, October 10, 2014 (in person: Lukasz Bedkowski, Emmanuelle Seigner)
7:00 p.m. THE CABARET OF DEATH (Kabaret smierci) by Andrzej Celinski (94 min.) The World War II story about the Jewish artists fighting for survival using the only weapon available to them – musical, theatrical and film creativity. They fend off the German Nazi apparatus of repression with the joke, cabaret performances, sketches, spectacles, songs, concerts… They organize them in concentration camps and ghettos. They fight for their lives, but most of all, as they emphasize, they fight for the soul and dignity. In the series of dramatized episodes, which are reconstructions of the facts, we see how music, sketch and Jewish schmonces, became the weapons to promote the fight for the will to live and the will to participate in resistance, both in performing artists and members of the audience, people who were often emaciated by the murderous work and hunger.
9:00 p.m. VENUS IN FUR by Roman Polanski (96 min.) An actress attempts to convince a director how she’s perfect for a role in his upcoming production.
Saturday, October 11, 2014 (in person: Elzbieta Szoka, Alek Pietrzak, Greg Strasz, Evan Fisher, Bob Mclean, Nicolas Neidhardt, Marco Khan, Mariam Vardani, Patrick Wolf, Adi Spektor)
1:00 p.m. GABRIEL by Mikolaj Haremski (83 min.) Tomek, 12, an orphan who lives with his grandparents since the death of his mother, loves cars and spends all his free time in the garage with Raszynski a mechanic who teaches the boy how to repair and build them. But Tomek has a nagging need to find his long lost father. One day he gives in to the urge, setting off on a journey across the southern province of Swietokrzyskie. Tom is not alone. He is accompanied by a mysterious friend, Gabriel, who proves to be a highly unusual road companion.
CASPARADE (Kacperiada) by Wojtek Wawszczyk (11 min.) Little Casper is glued to the TV watching the adventures of his favorite superhero. As his Dad tries to restrict access to television, Casper has a brilliant idea: He dresses up as his Grandfather in order to confuse his Dad. However, Dad knows how to strike back! In fact, the real superhero might be where you’d expect him least…
3:00 p.m. Doc. 1 ALBERT CINEMA by Agnieszka Zwiefka (50 min.) A group of homeless men living in the Brother Albert’s shelter began to shoot films, in which they are the actors, scriptwriters, directors and cameramen. Their films have official premieres in cinemas. For homeless filmmakers these meetings with their audience are more important than Oscar ceremonies. Very often they invite their long gone families and sometimes… miracles happen.
ALDONA by Iwo Kondefer (15 min.) This movie is about Aldona Plewinska – tough, young girl from Silesia (Slask), with strong character and ironic look on reality. Aldona is disabled– she was born without arms and leg. Despite it she wants her dream about carrier of being model to come true.
CHESTER by Elzbieta Szoka (25 min.) Story of one man’s life long recovery from a terrible car accident, one that initially left him a paraplegic. Faced with massive rehabilitation, both physical and spiritual, Chester (Polish descendant) stoically picks up the pieces. With help from family members and the community of his church, Chester goes on to college, graduates, and becomes a successful businessman in the medical supply industry in Austin, Texas. Living on his own, Chester is a role model for independence, strength, and survival. His family ties and faith fill out and complete his life.
5:00 p.m. Shorts1: THE KISS (Pocalunek) by Filip Gieldon (22 min.) After an alcohol-induced night out, Emilia, 20, wakes up in an apartment she has never been in before. To her surprise, the person that greets her is not a man, but Matylda, 32, claiming that not only did they meet last night, but that Emilia was the one who kissed her, before they made their way into bed.
MAKING A SCENE by Janusz Kaminski (14 min.) The year’s best big-screen performers in 11 original (very) short films for New York Times Magazine.
STRONG COFFEE ISN`T THAT BAD (Mocna kawa wcale nie jest taka zla) by Alek Pietrzak (49 min.) Story about relationship between father and son. In this comedy-drama, the son comes back home after 18years abroad. It is a story about two men too stubborn to admit their true feelings.
BROKEN by Greg Strasz (6 min.) A young woman consumed with finding a man from her past, must choose between revenge and forgiveness in war-torn Middle East.
7:00 p.m. THE HOLLY SINNER (Wybraniec) by Michal Wegrzyn (82 min.) This is a drama about the search for self-identity. Film is an example of modern 20 –30-year-old conversations about how young people rashly and unwisely decide about marriage and having children.
THE CROW (Wrona) Przemyslaw Jan Chrobak (10 min.) The film is a kaleidoscope of human behavior to the unusual event on one of Warsaw’s estates.
9:00 p.m. BUNNY by Annika Glac (95 min) Pregnant Blanka wakes up, and puts on her bunny costume. Out on the wintry Warsaw street she wearily hands out advertising flyer’s. When she faints, a stranger, Alexander, fresh out of prison with only freedom on his mind, rescues her. Desperate to earn money he joins forces with the Bunny and becomes the Fox. Against his nature he falls for the Bunny and is caught in a trap of his own making. But their lives were intertwined long before they ever met by a brutal mistake which Alexander is now desperate to hide. Two people swirling in one destiny.
HOW TO ROB A HOUSE by Adi Spektor (7 min.) Two thieves find themselves robbing the wrong house at the wrong time.
Sunday, October 12, 20114 (in person: Beata Pozniak, Ryan Cross, Janek Ambros, Jacek Bromski, Ludek Drizhal, Spenser Gibb, Kasia Smiechowicz, Daniel McVicar)
1:00 p.m. Doc.2: CHILDREN CALLING (Dzieci dzwonia) by Andrzej Mankowski (30 min.) There is a film about the Phone Hotline for Children and Youth 116 111. Consultants 116 111 work in a small apartment in Warsaw’s Saska Kepa. They receive daily more than 400 callings from the whole Poland. Fear of air accident, parting with a boyfriend, the father – an alcoholic, the teacher – an exhibitionist, sleepiness caused by swallowed just a dozen tablets – Consultant 116 111 must be able to face all the problems of the children…
TO FORGIVE ALL EVIL (Wybaczyc wszelkie zlo) by Grzegorz Linkowski (46 min.) Is a Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation possible? Two young historians Dr. Mariusz Zajączkowski (Polish) and Dr. Roman Kabaczij (Ukrainian) analyze unknown sensational facts concerning the talks and agreements between the AK (the Polish Home Army) and the UPA (The Ukrainian Insurgent Army) in May 1945. They show a unique set of archival photos presenting the Ukrainian and the Polish party during the preparations for their talks and during their negotiations which take place shortly after the Volyn tragedy, several months before the Operation Vistula, and which lead to the cessation of fratricidal fights as well as a common armed rebellion against the new communist power. At the same time, on the 70th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy, Polish pilgrims set out for Ukraine with the cross of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko (from the St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in Warsaw). The pilgrimage occurs under the slogan “Overcome evil with good”. The pilgrims take part in lots of meetings with the Ukrainian community in Volyn trying to find a way to reconcile both nations. The film shows that painful memories don’t have to disunite.
3:00 p.m. Doc./Shorts2: THE PURPLE STORY (Purpurowa opowiesc) by Mateusz Madry (30 min.) A young reporter named Staszek helps an old man who got beat up by a gang of polish hooligans. When he finally comes home his whole life seems to fall apart until he is in a situation where he needs somebody to help him.
FRIENDS AT 33 RPM (Przyjaciele na 33 obroty) by Grzegorz Brzozowicz (57 min.) This documentary tells the story of an unusual friendship which lasted for over sixty years and connected two exceptional Polish artists – Roslaw Szaybo and Stanislaw Zagorski. Artists jointly studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and belong to the so-called representatives of the Polish School of Poster. Zagorski in 1963 moved to New York. There designed book covers, magazines (Time Magazine) and vinyl (record labels Atlantic and Columbia). More than 20 years has worked with the famous pushpin graphic studio, and for 37 years he taught applied graphics at Temple University in Philadelphia. Szaybo in 1966 moved to London. Previously developed the concept of the famous series of graphic plate Polish Jazz. In London, he worked in a leading advertising agency Young & Rubicam. In 1974, he was, for 14 years, the position of creative director at the record company CBS. Since 1993, runs a photography diploma at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Artists have gained worldwide fame primarily by designing records covers biggest stars: jazz (Miles Davis, Roland Kirk, Krzysztof Komeda), rock (Velvet Underground, Cream, The Clash, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen), soul and blues (Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker), pop (Cher, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel), reggae (Bob Marley, Aswad) and classical music (Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein). This uplifting documentary is full of anecdotes, carefully chosen iconography and bears great soundtrack with the music of the era (polish jazz).
SAPPHIRE by Ryan Cross (6 min.) SAPPHIRE is the story about a family torn by marriage. Clinton, the oldest brother of two, has finally found the love of his life and is ready to start a family of his own. Paul, the younger brother surprises Clinton with an unexpected visit to try to change his mind before it’s too late.
5:00 p.m. VIVA BELARUS by Krzysztof Lukaszewicz (101 min.) Based on the true story of Franak Viacorka and other Belarusian youth activists, the film Viva Belarus! depicts the life and fate of nonconformist youth living in “Europe’s last dictatorship.” The groundbreaking film tells the story of 23-year old Miron, whose true passion is music. When his concert triggers an anti-regime protest, Miron is held responsible. Despite a heart condition, he is forcibly drafted into the army. Serving in a remote unit, Miron faces ideological brainwashing and horrible living conditions. Through a hidden mobile phone, Miron informs his girlfriend Viera about the day to day life of a conscript. She posts his diary on the Internet and it soon becomes a sensation among young people. As a result, the regime tries to discredit Miron and crush his spirit.
7:00 p.m. LITTLE CRASHES (Male stluczki) by Aleksandra Gowin & Ireneusz Grzyb (82 min.) Little Crushes tells the story of Kasia, Asia and Piotr. The women live together and run a small business clearing out apartments when the owners move away or die. Piotr, who recently left his wife and quit his job, finds himself in competition with Kasia for Asia’s affection. Tensions increase and emotions run high but no one is prepared to make the next move, preferring to play safe instead, rather than risk crushing what they have. Essentially they manage to maintain this delicate balance but it seems inevitable that emotions cannot stay buried forever and eventually something has to give
PEOPLE ON THE BRIDGE by Beata Pozniak (5 min.) An experimental short film based on a poem “People on the Bridge” written by Nobel Prize winner Wislawa Szymborska translated and narrated by Beata Pozniak. Visuals of Beata performing are intermingled with images of a 19th century Japanese woodblock print entitled “People on a Bridge” by Hiroshige Utagawa which provided the original inspiration for the poem.
RED BLUE AND PURPLE by Janek Ambros (6 min.) A man’s mind jumps back and forth between increasingly extreme versions of the individual and the collective.
9:00 p.m. ONE WAY TICKET TO THE MOON (Bilet na ksiezyc) by Jacek Bromski (120 min.) Set in 1969, ONE WAY TICKET TO THE MOON centers on two brothers as they travel across Poland in search of a few instant life experiences. When Adam is drafted into the Polish army and is sent to serve in the submarine section of the Navy, he sets off for the military base in Swinoujscie, along with his older brother Antoni. The two head for the Polish coast, a journey across Poland lasting several days and bringing about visits with old friends, as well as new acquaintances. Antoni’s plan is to make sure that the trip prepares his younger brother for life in the army— including losing his virginity— to avoid becoming the laughingstock of the unit.
Monday, October 13, 2014
7:00 p.m. DECEIVED (Oszukane) by Marcin Solarz (90 min.) Story of the complicated love between a mother and a daughter whose relationship is put to a difficult test. At the age of 18, Natalia discovers that she is not the biological child of her mother. It turns out that shortly after birth she was swapped with another child in hospital. The truth changes the lives of both women. Is love more important than being a blood relation?
9:00 p.m. TO KILL A BEAVER (Zabic bobra) by Jan Jakub Kolski (99 min.) He is an obstinate man with obvious internal demons, a fact which provokes apprehension in those around him and an impression of inspiring indomitability. Yet despite his desire to be alone, a woman intrudes upon the quiet of his unspecified plans. His benumbed feelings, which the director illustrates through a world full of minor mysteries, typify Eryk just as precisely as his fit body and sharp vision. Eryk’s behavior and even his relationship resist rational perception, allowing the film to touch on fundamental questions of human existence, its instinctiveness, as well as how it is marked by specific experiences. These the director reveals gradually, offering multiple ways of perceiving them. Manic memories lead to manic actions, but they remain veiled in an aura of mystery concerning both their nature and moral justifiability.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 (in person: Dawid Ogrodnik)
7:00 p.m. YOU ARE GOD (Jestes Bogiem) by Leszek Dawid (110 min.) The promising documentary by Leszek Dawid tells the story of Paktofonika, one of Poland’s pioneer hip-hop collectives. In the process he merges biography with sociological observation to create an unique look at the struggle for success in a troubled environment. He knew about the traps that were hidden in the story of the famous musicians, the tragic death of the band-leader, the wild capitalism of the nineties, the Silesian housing projects and the lost young generation. In YOU ARE GOD he successfully avoids moralizing or overt praise and manages a fairly objective portrait of the group and its members. Thanks to this directorial discipline and artistic maturity the film is turning out to be one of the best movies made in Poland in the past few years.
9:00 p.m. WALESA. MAN OF HOPE (Walesa. Czlowiek z nadziei) by Andrzej Wajda (110 min.) The depiction of the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa, as events in the 1970s lead to a peaceful revolution. This historical perspective, combined with a dynamic story of daily life in the Polish People’s Republic, should help comprehend the phenomenon of those transformations. The film is mainly addressed to young people, at the same time constituting a reminder of an outstanding filmmaker. Sometimes you must fight for freedom, sometimes you must defend it, there are, however, no circumstances which could excuse you from contemplating our freedom.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 (in person: Julia Kijowska)
7:00 p.m. THE MIGHTY ANGEL (Pod Mocnym Aniolem) by Wojciech Smarzowski (105 min.) Jerzy is a writer and a chronic alcoholic. We meet him at the point when he believes that he can beat his addiction. Him and her in bed. Somebody says “I love you”. It seems that there is a reason and someone to live for… But when once she’s gone and he’s alone in a taxi, Jerzy can’t stop himself any longer. He has a quick one at THE MIGHTY ANGEL and then goes to an all-night shop and starts drinking heavily. And then foam, convulsions, vomiting. Jerzy ends up in intensive care. We meet the hospital staff and other alcoholics in the isolated ward. Part of the treatment is reading previously written stories from the times when the patients were drinking. There’s an array of characters here: a lorry driver, a director, a pharmacist, some dossiers too, a student and a policeman… there are no exceptions because anyone can be trapped in addiction. There are many amusing and authentic life stories (who has never laughed at a drunkard?) but there are also some terrifying ones…
9:00 p.m. LOVING (Milosc) by Slawomir Fabicki (105 min.) Life of Tom and Mary seems spotless. Happily married young couple with promising careers, awaiting their firstborn in their new apartment. When Mary calls a day off work, her superior, and city’s mayor shows up at her door with the basket of purple roses… and everything is blown apart. Should partners reveal every truth even the potentially harmful one? Will love overcome the fear of being hurt and deceived? What grows out of the seed doubt on the ground of mature, healthy and loving relationship? Inspired by a true political and social affair, the film is a study of the relationship disintegration; it’s a story about trust and hope; about love that hurts.
Thursday, October 16, 2014 (in person: Dawid Ogrodnik)
7:00 p.m. LIFE FEELS GOOD (Chce sie zyc) by Maciej Pieprzyca (107 min.) Mateusz has cerebral palsy. In addition to his obvious physical handicap, he was diagnosed at a very early age as a mentally disabled person with no communicative ability. After twenty five years, however, it turned out that apart from his physical problems, he was a perfectly normal, even quite intelligent person. The film is a chronicle of his life. We get to know Mateusz now, when he is 30 and is institutionalized at a clinic for the mentally disabled. He is about to be examined by a committee which will decide whether he is normal or not. In retrospect we follow his life from the early 1980s to the present, in happy and sad times. We also get to know the love of his life, Anka. “The story of Przemek (the name of the real person on whom Mateusz is based) is above all a pretext to ask existential questions about life, death, faith, love, normality and understanding. Life does not bring unambiguous moments of sadness or joy; it is more a state in-between those feelings, between a funeral and a wedding. Life is both tragic and comical.” — Maciej Pierprzyca
9:00 p.m. IDA by Pawel Pawlikowski (80 min.) Poland 1962 Anna is a novice, an orphan brought up by nuns in the convent. She has to see Wanda, the only living relative, before she takes her vows. Wanda tells Anna that Anna is Jewish. Both women start a journey not only to find their family tragic story, but who they really are and where they belong. They question their religions and ideas they believed in. Both are trying to go on living but only one of them can.
Laemmle’s Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310-478-3836)
Friday, October 10, 2014 (in person: Antoni Pawlicki)
7:00 p.m. BIG LOVE by Barbara Bialowas (100 min.)
9:00 p.m. PAPUSZA by Joanna & Krzysztof Krauze (131 min.)
Saturday, October 11, 2014 (in person: Zbigniew Czapla, Balbinka Korzeniowska, Tadeusz Torzecki)
1:30 p.m. WARSAW UPRISING (Powstanie Warszawskie) (76 min.)
3:00 p.m. Animations Program: BEACH (Plaza) by Pawel Prewencki (4 min.)
ENDEMIT’S GREED by Natalia Dziedzic (11 min.)
EX ANIMO by Wojciech Wojtkowski (7 min.)
THE GOVERNANCE OF LOVE (O rzadach milosci) by Adela Kaczmarek (13 min.)
MOONSHINE by Michal Poniedzielski (11 min.)
POCHLEBA by Barbara Mydlak (4 min.)
SPIDER AND FLIES (Pajak i muchy) by Tessa Moult-Milewska (4 min.)
SUMMER 2014 (Lato 2014) by Wojciech Sobczyk (13 min.)
THE TENEMENT BUILDING (Kamienica) by Agnieszka Burszewska (13 min.)
TO THY HEART (Do serca twego) by Ewa Borysewicz (10 min.)
TOTO by Zbigniew Czapla (12 min.)
VANITAS by Kamila & Miroslam Sosnowski (7 min.)
5:00 p.m. Doc. PADEREWSKI A MAN OF ACTION, SUCCESS AND FAME (Paderewski, czlowiek czynu, sukcesu i slawy) by Wieslaw Dabrowski (32 min.)
A LITTLE POLAND IN INDIA by Anu Radha (52 min.)
7:00 p.m. LITTLE CRASHES (Male stluczki) by Aleksandra Gowin (82 min.)
AN ARTIST AND A SON by Balbinka Korzeniowska (3 min.)
AWAKEN by Balbinka Korzeniowska (7 min.)
9:00 p.m. THE VULTURE (Sep) by Eugeniusz Korin (113 min.)
Sunday, October 12, 2014 (in person: Alek Pietrzak)
2:00 p.m. GABRIEL by Mikolaj Hermanski (83 min.)
CASPARADE (Kacperiada) by Wojtek Wawszczyk (11 min.)
5:00 p.m. Doc. / Shorts: JOANNA by Aneta Kopacz (40 min.)
STRONG COFFEE ISN`T THAT BAD (Mocna kawa wcale nie jest taka zla) by Alek Pietrzak (49 min.)
7:00 p.m. SHAMELESS (Bez wstydu) by Filip Marczewski (80 min.)
9:00 p.m. JACK STRONG by Wladyslaw Pasikowski (122 min.)
Monday, October 13, 2014
7:00 p.m. VIVA BELARUS by Krzysztof Lukaszewicz (101 min.)
9:00 p.m. WALESA. MAN OF HOPE (Walesa. Czlowiek z nadziei) by Andrzej Wajda (110 min.)
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 (in person: Dawid Ogrodnik)
7:00 p.m. Shorts: THE KISS (Pocalunek) by Filip Geldon ( 22 min.)
MOTHER EARTH (Matka ziemia) by Piotr Zlotorowicz (30 min.)
THE BARTENDER (Barman) by Piotr Budzowski (12 min.)
SUCH A LANDSCAPE (Taki Pejzaz) by Jagoda Szelc (23 min.)
9:00 p.m. LIFE FEELS GOOD (Chce sie zyc) by Maciej Pieprzyca (107 min.)
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 (in person: Dawid Ogrodnik)
7:00 p.m. THE WORD (Obietnica) by Anna Kazejak (97 min.)
9:00 p.m. YOU ARE GOD (Jestes Bogiem) by Leszek Dawid (110 min.)
Thursday, October 16, 2014 (in person: Jacek Bromski, Filip Plawiak, Ludek Drizhal, Spencer Gibb, Kasia Smiechowicz)
7:00 p.m. DREAM OF WARSAW (Sen o Warszawie) by Krzysztof Magowski (107 min.)
9:00 p.m. ONE WAY TICKET TO THE MOON (Bilet na ksiezyc) by Jacek Bromski (120 min.)
Tickets at Noho 7 & Royal: $11.00, Seniors: $8.00
Free admission to screenings of Documentary, Shorts and Animation Programs
Free admission to all screenings for students with valid High School and College ID
Weekday double feature: $18.00, Seniors: $13.00, Discount Ticket Booklets: 5 different films – $40.00, 10 different films – $75.00, 15 different films – $100.00; Group Tickets: 10 tickets for the same film – $85.00, 15 tickets for the same film – $120.00
Pass to all screenings: $120.00 (Pass holder needs to be present 15 min. before the screening time)
For Passes, Ticket Booklets and Group Tickets call: 818/982-8827 or write to info@polishfilmla.org
Buy tickets on-line: www.laemmle.com; free tickets only at each individual Theater Box Office
The Armer Theater, Manzanita Hall
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330-8317
CSUN Cinematheque
Friday, October 10, 2014
7:00 p.m. ONE WAY TICKET TO THE MOON (Bilet na ksiezyc) by Jacek Bromski (120 min.)
Q&A with Jacek Bromski, Ludek Drizhal, Spenser Gibb, Kasia Smiechowicz, Daniel McVicar; Moderator – Tim Halloran
Free admission.
Informatio: www.polishfilmLA.org , 818/982-8827
Program subject to change without prior notice