The jubilee 20th edition of the Warsaw Innocent Sorcerers Festival returns this year to one of its most symbolic locations: the house at 10a Chmielna Street, where Andrzej Wajda filmed his 1960 cult classic Innocent Sorcerers. The anniversary edition carries the theme "Dreams of Warsaw". It celebrates the city’s myths, identities, and the artistic spirit that have continually shaped its cultural landscape.
The name of the festival has always been a tribute to Wajda’s film, which, as Dariusz Gawin, head of the Stefan Starzyński Institute, explained during Thursday’s press conference, is "a very Warsaw film." The goal, he stressed, is to create an event not only for lifelong Varsovians but also for all who have arrived, stayed, and grown to love the city.
"The best way to tell the story of Warsaw is through things we all remember and that engage us," Gawin noted, emphasizing the film’s role as a shared cultural reference that bridges generations and newcomers alike.
One of the most anticipated events is the theatrical installation "Anything but Love" (Byle nie o miłości), directed by Agnieszka Wąsikowska. Presented on November 29–30, the installation transforms the historic Chmielna 10a building into a living film set.
Festivalgoers will also welcome the return of the popular Saturday dancing event on November 15 in the Palace of Culture and Science’s Ratuszowa Hall. The Delegates of Evening Parties Orchestra, led by Jakub Lubowicz, will perform alongside guest vocalist Ania Rusowicz. Attendees are encouraged to dress in 1950s style, embracing the aesthetic spirit of the festival’s cinematic inspiration.
In the Warsaw Fotoplastikon, visitors can view the exhibition "The City We Wanted to Build: Warsaw in Unrealized Projects from the Second Half of the 20th Century." The display features 48 three-dimensional images of architectural designs that never materialized, offering a compelling glimpse into alternative urban futures.
The festival also hosts a series of discussions, tackling themes such as HEstories and Polish masculinity, the dreams of contemporary Warsaw residents, and the complexities of love in a meeting titled "Innocently Ghosted." Workshops on textile design inspired by the 1950s further extend the program’s historical and creative reach.
The 20th Warsaw Innocent Sorcerers Festival begins on Saturday and runs until the end of November.
(aj)
SOURCE: PAP; IAR