In 2025, we mark the 25th anniversary of the Honorary Oscar awarded to Andrzej Wajda for lifetime achievement – an honor that cemented his status as one of the most important directors in the history of world cinema. To celebrate this milestone, following the event held in March at Kino Luna in Warsaw, we have prepared a unique international project aimed at honoring the legacy of a filmmaker whose name is mentioned alongside Bergman, Fellini, and Kurosawa, and whose work continues to inspire directors such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola.
As part of the 20th anniversary edition of the New York Polish Film Festival, we invite American audiences to screenings of Andrzej Wajda’s greatest and most compelling films, as well as to a discussion panel featuring Polish and American experts. A key element of each event will be a reflection on the enduring relevance of the themes Wajda explored – freedom, democracy, and civic engagement – and their importance in today’s world.
The project will continue in the fall with events in Los Angeles, followed by a celebration in Warsaw in 2026 to mark the 100th anniversary of Andrzej Wajda’s birth.
The “25 Years Since Wajda’s Oscar” project is a tribute to a body of work that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries, to an artist who used the language of cinema to build bridges of understanding, and to the values that – like his films – remain as vital today as when they were first created.
One of the highlights of the New York Polish Film Festival (NYPFF) will be the Opening Gala, taking place on May 28 at the Directors Guild Theater in New York City. The special guest of the evening will be Martin Scorsese, who will introduce Andrzej Wajda’s acclaimed film Ashes and Diamonds.
For 20 years, the New York Polish Film Festival has been a vital part of the city’s cultural landscape and remains the largest festival dedicated to Polish cinema on the East Coast of the United States. Since its inception, it has presented over 300 feature films, documentaries, and shorts, creating a platform for creative exchange and fostering a deeper connection between Polish and American cultures.
In this anniversary year, NYPFF continues its mission: to celebrate Polish culture and cinema, to build bridges between filmmakers and audiences, and to explore themes of identity, history, and social challenges that resonate across borders.
PROGRAM OF THE NEW YORK POLISH FILM FESTIVAL
MAY 27 – MAY 31, 2025
TUESDAY, MAY 27
Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY. 10016
5:00 PM – Opening Reception
6:00 PM – Kanal / Kanał (1957), dir. Andrzej Wajda – 1h 31min | Introduction: dr Rafał Syska
Approx. 7:40 PM – Films by Andrzej Wajda – discussion panel with prof. Annette Insdorf (Columbia University) and dr. Rafał Syska (Jagiellonian University). Moderation: Grzegorz Skorupski. Introduction: Joanna Rożen-Wojciechowska (Wajda FIlm Centre). Keynote: Katarzyna Ślesicka (Wajda Film Centre)
8:30 PM – Under the Volcano / Pod wulkanem (2024), dir. Damian Kocur – 1h 45min
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28
DGA New York Theater, 110 West 57 St. New York, NY 10019
OPENING NIGHT
7:15 PM – Ashes and Diamonds / Popiół i diament (1958), dir. Andrzej Wajda – 1h 43min | Introduction: Martin Scorsese
THURSDAY, MAY 29
Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY. 10016
5:30 PM – Everything for Sale / Wszystko na sprzedaż (1969), dir. Andrzej Wajda – 1h 45min | Introduction: dr Rafał Syska. Special guest: actress Małgorzata Potocka will meet with the audience.
8:15 PM – The Promised Land / Ziemia obiecana (1975), dir. Andrzej Wajda – 2h 50min | Introduction: Prof. Annette Insdorf
FRIDAY, MAY 30
Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY. 10016
4:30 PM – Forest / Las (2024, documentary), dir. Lidia Duda – 1h 24min
6:15 PM – Katyn / Katyń (2007), dir. Andrzej Wajda – 2h 1min | Introduction: dr Rafał Syska
8:30 PM – The Girl with the Needle / Dziewczyna z igłą (2024), dir. Magnus von Horn – 2h 3min
SATURDAY, MAY 31
Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY. 10016
1:30 PM – Man of Iron / Człowiek z żelaza (1981), dir. Andrzej Wajda – 2h 26min | Introduction: dr Rafał Syska
4:30 PM – The True Story of Tamara Łempicka & The Art of Survival (2024), dir. Julie Rubio – 1h 36min
6:30 PM – Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold / Kulej. Dwie strony medalu (2024), dir. Xawery Żuławski – 2h 28min
Annette Insdorf
Professor of Film at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and Moderator of the popular “Reel Pieces” series at the 92nd Street Y, where she has interviewed over 300 film celebrities. She is the author of the landmark study, Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust (with a foreword by Elie Wiesel); Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski; Francois Truffaut, a study of the French director’s work; Philip Kaufman, and Intimations: The Cinema of Wojciech Has. Her latest book is Cinematic Overtures: How to Read Opening Scenes, currently in its fourth printing.
Rafał Syska
The Professor at the Institute of Audiovisual Arts at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, a film historian, and a specialist in contemporary cinema. His research interests include slow cinema, film museology, and production studies.
He is the author of several books and numerous scholarly essays, including Film and Violence: Ways of Representation in Cinematic Violence (2003), Keep the Distance: The Cinematic World of Robert Altman (2008), Poetry of the Image: The Films of Theo Angelopoulos (2008), Neomodernism in Film (2014), History of Film: From Edison to Nolan (2015), and Wajda (2019).
He has also edited or co-edited volumes such as the Film Dictionary (2005, 2nd edition 2010), Adaptations of American Literature (2011), Masterpieces of Classical American Cinema (2013), The Secret Worlds of Jacques Rivette (2017), and Unfinished Masterpieces of Cinema (2018), as well as the multi-volume series Masters of American Cinema (2006–2009) and History of Cinema (2009–present).
Rafał Syska has received prestigious fellowships and grants from the “Polityka” Foundation, the Foundation for Polish Science, and the Kosciuszko Foundation. In 2012, he was a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He has also lectured at institutions including Middlesex University London, Masaryk University in Brno, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, the University of Málaga, the University of Coimbra, and Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University.
He is the founder and former editor-in-chief of EKRANy magazine (2011–2018) and has curated exhibitions at the National Museum in Kraków, including Stanley Kubrick (2014) and Wajda (2019). Since 2016, he has served as Director of the National Centre for Film Culture in Łódź, where he oversaw the institution’s master plan, investment processes, permanent exhibition narratives, and curated several temporary exhibitions (e.g., Krzysztof Kieślowski, Janusz Morgenstern, Wojciech Jerzy Has). His exhibition on Andrzej Wajda was also presented at the National Film Archive in Tokyo. Member of Board of Kyoto-Kraków Foundation, and a Chairman of Board (2016-2017) of National Cinemateque in Warsaw and since 2024 Andrzej Wajda Centre for Film Culture in Warsaw.
Joanna Rożen-Wojciechowska
A graduate in Film Studies from the Institute of Audiovisual Arts (Jagiellonian University), Doc Lab Poland, and the “Master Writers School” at Collegium Civitas, Joanna also studied at the Polish School of Reportage. She served as Head of the Film Screening and Events Department at the National Film Culture Centre in “EC1 Łódź – City of Culture” (2017–2018). Previously, she was the Program Director of Kino Polska Television (2009–2017), where she received the Hot Bird TV Award in 2010 for her original programming vision. Joanna has produced numerous television programs about film, initiated the “Year of Krzysztof Kieślowski on Kino Polska Television” (2016), and organized screenplay contests such as “The Case” and “Young Frames – Debutants.” She also produced Katarzyna Klimkiewicz’s Hanoi-Warsaw, which won the European Film Award in 2010.
Katarzyna Ślesicka
Deputy Director of Wajda Film Centre for Program Affairs and Head of the Film Education Department responsible for projects such as LET’S DOC Documentary Film Festival for Young Audiences, LET’S DOC.Lab, numerous workshops for children, youth, and teachers under the umbrella of TRAMPOLINA DO KINA, as well as research and development activities within the long-term project New Strategy of Film Education. Producer of documentary films (including Vika! by Agnieszka Zwiefka / 2023 and You Are Not Alone by Karolina Domagalska / 2024). The co-author of DOC LAB POLAND, the largest program in Poland supporting and promoting documentary filmmakers and producers, as well as of CEDOC MARKET at the Krakow Film Festival.
From 2005 to 2015 the managing director and board member of the Wajda School Foundation and Wajda Studio, founded in 2001 by Andrzej Wajda and Wojciech Marczewski. She produced several films for the Studio, including Andrzej Wajda: Let’s Shoot directed by the Paladino team, K2: Touching the Sky by Eliza Kubarska, Aria Diva by Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Sanctuary by Nora McGettigan, and The End of the World by Monika Pawluczuk. A member of the Polish Filmmakers Association, the National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers, and the Polish Film Academy, as well as an expert for the Polish Film Institute.
Grzegorz Skorupski
Cultural and Film Professional with over 16 years of experience working with leading national and international cultural institutions. Proven track record and deep expertise in planning and managing international cultural projects, as well as experience as a film producer.
Since August 2022, Supervisory Producer at Animoon, a Warsaw-based creative team specializing in the development and production of animated projects. For nearly a decade, the studio has focused on delivering high-quality, narrative-driven animation, primarily based on original ideas. Animoon’s portfolio includes short and feature-length films and series aimed at a wide audience.
From 2012 to 2022, Member of the Experts Team at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (AMI), overseeing the film program. Responsible for planning and coordinating AMI’s film projects and long-term strategic development. Engaged in building international partnerships and managing AMI’s film co-productions.
Particularly interested in cultural and social communication and in audiovisual languages as tools of contemporary cultural discourse.
Believes that the ability to communicate effectively through the language of culture is essential for personal growth and meaningful engagement in modern life — be it social, professional, emotional, or intellectual. In her view, culture is the foundation, while social, business, and private life are its components — not the other way around.
Organizers:
Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund.
The event is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Sponsors:
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