With Fire and Sword

On the Roads of Armenia

A reportage created by a well-known duo of documentary filmmakers - Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski. The men and their Polish Film Chronicle crew went to Armenia. Breathtaking, mountainous landscapes and historic cities remembering the first centuries of our era – it makes us aware of the importance of the area.

Trzy kroki po ziemi

Three stories about life problems, each rooted in contemporary reality through newspaper reports and a “Polityka” magazine survey, crafted by documentarians Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski.

Look Out, Hooligans!

A staged documentary that started the Polish Black Series. The film takes the form of a warning against indifference to the rogue behavior of hooligan groups and their pernicious effect on young people flowing into the cities.

Beautiful Stranger

Strangers on a train. Late in 1916, a brave and idealistic Russian officer in his 20s comes to his superiors' attention when he stands up to Rasputin at a nightclub. He's asked to carry important papers from Petersburg to Stockholm by train in the dead of winter, a dangerous mission. The first-class carriage may be full of spies, and soon after the train embarks, the man in the next compartment searches Obozow's luggage. A beautiful stranger approaches him, a woman older than he, on a concert tour; a game of cat and mouse ensues with patriotism and emotion sometimes on opposite sides. Can Obozow consummate the affair, reach Stockholm, and maintain his ideals?

Ukraine. The Birth of a Nation

The Quack

A famous surgeon is beaten by drunken bullies, loses his memory and cannot recollect who he was before. He gets to a village, lives in a not so well to do family and becomes the Quack - he slowly regains his talent for medicine and saves the lives of several village patients.

The Deluge

During the Swedish invasion of Poland, the brave warrior Andrzej Kmicic, considered a traitor to the nation, fights for a country, redemption and love across the 17th-century Polish territories.

Pan Olbrychski

Biographical documentary film presenting the silhouette and artistic path of the outstanding actor Daniel Olbrychski. The narrative of the main character is confronted with his colleagues and friends, in contemporary interviews, including: with Krystyna Janda, Jerzy Hoffman, Krzysztof Zanussi, Volker Schlondorff and Adam Michnik. The archival materials will include statements and excerpts from the realization of scenes from Andrzej Wajda's films. The film roles of the main character are intertwined with his private life.

Wedle wyroków twoich...

As the Germans invade Poland Jewish Ruth and her mother are trapped by the oncoming Nazis. When they are loaded onto a truck for transportation to a ghetto, Ruth is told by her mother to jump from the truck at the first chance and to make her way to relatives in Warsaw. While the war progresses Ruth tries to survive and grow up.

Colonel Wolodyjowski

In 1668 Polish colonel Michał Wołodyjowski, who recently retired to a monastery, is recalled to active duty and takes charge of Poland's eastern frontier defenses against invading Tatar hordes and Ottoman armies.

Gaudeamus

A report from a student’s festival in Kraków. The history of this event dates back to the 15th century in Poland. Statues and knights at Wawel remain unmoved until they fall into the rhythm of joyful fun.

Havana '61

Havana, 1961. After the success of the Cuban revolution, the city was no longer just a capital of nightlife. The city was changing for the benefit of the local population: it opened beaches, built blocks of flats, guarded the coast.

Picks For Today

A look at the horse races at the famous track in Sluzewiec, Warsaw.

Visitez Zakopane

A documentary impression from the capital of the Tatra Mountains. All the winter attractions of Zakopane rhythmically presented by the camera: sleigh rides, skis, dances, sunbathes, bonfires. Visit Zakopane!

Merry-Go-Round in Łowicz

A documentary impression in color showing the attractions of the Łowicz region. With curiosity, the camera captures scenes from a fair and an amusement park. The atmosphere of the place is created by artists wearing national costumes, especially women from Łowicz in colorful skirts.

Rat

Polish businessman Jarek Branicki organizes a beauty pageant. As the man in charge, he expects his girlfriend to win it and suggests this outcome to the judges. At the same time, however, he is on the verge of bankruptcy and tries to escape the country after being cornered by his creditors. Recognized by a passenger on the train, he flees and finds refuge in the underground passages of Warsaw’s central railway station.