People of the Vacant Area

The street poll proves that the memory of Nowa Huta has faded in the Poles' consciousness. The documentary filmmaker and his team decided to seek out the heroes of those events from 1949-1954, from the beginning of the works to the smelting of the first pig iron from the first furnace.

On the cusp of adulthood and in search of work qualifications and a better life, Franciszek Wróbel - a baker from a small village on the Czech border of south-western Poland - emigrates to industrial Silesia to join the Voluntary Labour Corps. There he is chosen from all of the applicants to write a diary of his experiences and daily life. Between his vocational courses and training, he struggles to make friends, pass his exams, and maintain relationships with girls.

A documentary depicting life in Targówek, a deprived and crime-affected district of postwar Warsaw, where reconstruction and cultural development projects have failed to materialize.

Examines the hopes and aspirations of a group of 18-year-old girls following their graduation from a college in Warsaw.

A documentary depicting the Warsaw district of Powiśle where time has stopped. One of several films made by Kazimierz Karabasz included in the "black series" of Polish documentaries. Featuring a commentary typical for documentaries of the second half of the 1950s, it is distinguished by penetrating observation and lyricism.

A portrait of a traveling circus.

Documentary about the lives of three generations of residents of Warsaw’s Wola district.

Rhythmic and indicative documentary that shows how every day 150,000 people hurry to work by public transport from their homes in the suburbs of Warsaw.

A documentary about a group of Warsaw tram workers who moonlight in the city orchestra at night.

Pigeon breeders (men mostly) are a special kind of enthusiasts. Their hobby includes an element of competition – a long-distance race of carrier pigeons.

Kazimierz Karabasz visits circles of amateur photographers in small towns (most of the photographs were taken in Włodawa) and listens to their stories about the town, its inhabitants and photographing their everyday life. The young people, who are active at community centres, show the documentarian what role photography plays in their lives and how it influences their perception of their surroundings: places and people. Photography thus becomes a school for looking, seeing and developing sensitivity. As it turns out, it is not always the form and workshop that are the most important.

An idealistic young cellist becomes dissatisfied with her relationship with a poor student who thinks primarily of money.

A lonely man wanders the streets of contemporary Warsaw. He reads the daily press, observes women in a beauty salon and follows the action on a film set. In each of the places he is just an observer, not a protagonist.