Since 1997, the Polish Film Festival has been a fixture in Rochester, thanks, in part, to the area’s active Polish-American community.

The annual, two-part festival presents classic Polish cinema as well as contemporary works produced by the newest generation of the country’s filmmakers. It showcases internationally recognized films that might not otherwise be seen in the area and attracts renowned Polish actors, directors, screenwriters, and critics to Rochester.

The festival is sponsored by the Skalny Center, the Polish Film Institute, the Polish Filmmakers Association, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York and the Polish Heritage Society of Rochester.

All films have English subtitles.

Doppelganger

Wednesday, November 13, 7:00 pm

Doppelgänger is a suspense-filled psychological drama with elements of a thriller and a spy movie. A film inspired by the true story of a special agent of Cold-War Poland who posed as the son of a German woman to build false family relations and launch a successful espionage career. A story of how big-world politics can devastate the lives of ordinary people.

The plot set at the turn of the 1970s takes place on both sides of the Iron Curtain at once. Hans lives in bustling Strasbourg, making the best of the opportunities that the West has to offer. He blends in the local community, running his espionage activities at the same time. Jan lives with his family in Gdansk and works in the shipyard. On the outside there is nothing the two men have in common. However, the past holds a secret that will challenge them with their own weaknesses and passions. Each of them will face a question about his own identity.

Kulej, all that Glitters isn’t gold

Thursday, November 14, 7:00 pm

The story of Jerzy and Helena Kulej, the most vibrant married couple of the 1960s in Poland. He is a legendary boxer, a two-time European and eight-time Polish champion, the only Polish boxer to have won two Olympic golds, and though never knocked out in the ring, collapsing many a times in his private life. She is a strong woman, always there by his side, but refusing to stay in his shadow forever. The film focuses on the 1964-68 period when Jerzy Kulej won gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo only to repeat that feat in Mexico. It’s a multifaceted story of the sportsman’s successes on the ring and the colours of the era, but also a tale of the turbulent fate of the Kulejs’ marriage where great love was put to the test while trying to tackle a great success.

The Girl with the Needle

Friday, November 15, 7:00 pm

Karoline, a young factory worker, is trying to survive in Copenhagen right after WWI. When she falls pregnant, she loses her job and is left to her own devices. That’s when she meets Dagmar, a charismatic owner of an illegal adoption agency assisting mothers in finding new homes for their unwanted children. With no other option, Karoline starts working at Dagmar’s agency as a wet nurse. The two women start to bond, but Karoline’s world falls apart once she discovers the shocking truth about her employer.

Inspired by a true story The Girl with the Needle is an unsettling tale about a woman struggling to find love and a sense of morality. 
Denmark has selected The Girl with the Needle as its Oscar submission for the Best International Feature Film category. The film received a fantastic reception at its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and the North American premiere in Toronto. Silver Lions at the 2024 Gdynia Polish Film Festival.

Magnus von Horn was born in 1983 in Göteborg, Sweden but has lived for almost 20 years in Poland. A graduate of the Polish National Film School in Łódź where he is currently a teacher.

Green Border

Saturday, November 16, 7:00 pm

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU.

Having moved to Podlasie region in the north-east of Poland, Julia, a psychologist, becomes an involuntary witness and participant of the dramatic events at the Polish-Belarussian border. Conscious of the risk and legal consequences, she joins a group of activists that help refugees who are camping out in the forests in the state of emergency zone. At the same time, a Syrian family who are fleeing from war and a teacher from Afghanistan are trying to reach the border of the European Union, not realizing that they have become the tool of the Belarussian authorities’ political scam. In Poland, fate will bring them together with Julia and a young border patrolman, Jan. The events that engulf them will force them all to pose the following question anew: what is humanity?

Three-time Oscar Nominee Agnieszka Holland’s poignant new feature Green Border opens our eyes, speaks to the heart, and challenges us to reflect on the moral choices that fall to ordinary people every day. Golden Lions at 2024 Gdynia Polish Film Festival.

Simona Kossak

Sunday, November 17, 7:00 pm

Simona Kossak (1943-2007), a biologist, ecologist, and professor of forest sciences, was the great-granddaughter of Juliusz Kossak, the granddaughter of Wojciech Kossak, and the daughter of Jerzy Kossak – three painters who loved both Polish landscapes and history. Lacking the talent that has been defining her family for generations, she was growing up knowing no warmth from her authoritarian mother. After graduating from the university, she left everything behind – her home, tradition and social norms – and accepted the position of a scientist in Białowieża, starting to live her life on her own terms. She settled in the middle of the forest, in a house with no electricity or running water, surrounded by wild nature. There, she met a photographer, Lech Wilczek, who shared her passions: the love of nature and the need for freedom. However, her view on the work of a naturalist and the position a young woman in a world dominated by men got painfully shattered. Not only had she to defend her ideals but also the world of flora and fauna.