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Scorsese to introduce Wajda classic as New York Polish Film Festival marks 20th year

27.05.2025 09:30
The 20th New York Polish Film Festival opens Tuesday, pairing a retrospective of Andrzej Wajda’s masterpieces with the latest crop of Polish features and documentaries—and a star turn by U.S. director Martin Scorsese.
Poster:
Poster:NYPFF

The five-day event at Manhattan’s Scandinavia House begins with Wajda’s 1957 wartime drama Canal,” followed by a discussion with Columbia University film scholar Annette Insdorf and Jagiellonian University historian Rafał Syska.

On Wednesday, Scorsese will personally introduce a screening of Ashes and Diamonds at the Directors Guild Theatre, the center-piece of a Wajda strand that also includes “The Promised Land,” “Man of Iron” and “Katyn.”

New work on the bill ranges from Damian Kocur’s “Under the Volcano” and Lidia Duda’s documentary “Forest” to Xawery Żuławski’s biopic “Kulej. Two Sides of the Medal.” Guest actress Małgorzata Potocka will attend.

“In 20 years we have shown more than 300 films on the big screen—an experience that transforms how audiences see Polish cinema,” festival founder Hanna Hartowicz told PAP.

Normally handing out several juried prizes, the festival will mark its jubilee with a single audience award.

All titles remain available online, a practice adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(jh)

Source: PAP