Hospital

Hospital 1977

6.26

24 hours in the life of a hospital from the point of view of the doctors and nurses.

1977

The Hijacking of 'Savoy'

The Hijacking of 'Savoy' 1979

4.20

Polish schoolboy Janek, and Russian girl Tanya are traveling by a plane which ended up in the hands of a gang of drug dealers headed by ex Nazi criminal Henrich Scharf.

1979

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae 1975

6.90

A communist party control committee interrogates a worker and party activist who is to be excluded from the party.

1975

Domek z kart

Domek z kart 1954

1

August 1939. After publishing an article criticizing the government, a journalist has to hide from the authorities.

1954

Men of the Blue Cross

Men of the Blue Cross 1955

6.00

The final film produced by Warsaw’s Documentary Film Studio is an epic re-enactment of a treacherous mission by the Voluntary Tatra Mountain Rescue Service to aid colleagues stranded behind enemy lines at the close of World War II (several real participants feature in the film). Based on a short story about the rescue by Adam Liberak, Munk’s final “documentary” is also arguably his first major exercise in the craft of narrative filmmaking.

1955

Warsaw Main Station

Warsaw Main Station 1958

7.20

Warsaw Central Station, 1958. A place of greetings and farewells, an intersection of people from different parts of Poland and Europe. A girl waits in vain, she goes away. Soon the station would belong to the past too.

1958

Railway Station

Railway Station 1980

4.72

Kieslowski’s later film Dworzec (Station, 1980) portrays the atmosphere at Central Station in Warsaw after the rush hour.

1980

House

House 1958

5.21

An experimental short film by Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica.

1958

X-Ray

X-Ray 1974

5.70

Patients with serious lung diseases, who are now in a sanatorium, tell us about their thoughts and feelings.

1974

A Walk in the Clouds

A Walk in the Clouds 1967

1

A balloon flight with Zbigniew Burzyński, the pioneer of ballooning in our country, and his wife became a great opportunity to take picturesque shots of the Polish landscape from a bird's eye view. Zbigniew Burzyński (1902-1971) is the pioneer of ballooning in Poland, a balloon constructor and double winner of the Gordon Cup – the International Ballooning Competition. In the 1960s, he tried to reactivate the discipline, for example in Czechoslovakia. A balloon flight with Burzyński and his wife became a great opportunity to take picturesque shots of the Polish landscape from a bird's eye view. From the ground, soldiers, farmers and children send greetings to the couple. The human world seems to be idyllic. It looks like a part of the greater world order, friendly to those who dared to soar up.

1967

What is Dudek?

What is Dudek? 1967

1

The "Dudek" cabaret group, Edward Dziewoński’s lifetime achievement, one of the greatest post-war cabaret groups recorded by a documentary filmmaker during rehearsals. The stars of Polish acting could be seen on stage, accompanied by excellent songs by Wojciech Młynarski.

1967

A Railwayman's Word

A Railwayman's Word 1953

6.00

A documentary about the hard work of railwaymen transporting coke from Tarnowskie Góry to Szczecin Iron works. They’re doing their best to arrive on time.

1953

No Money I.e. 24 Hours in the Life of Jan Himilsbach

No Money I.e. 24 Hours in the Life of Jan Himilsbach 1984

1

More and more mourners join a queue for the stonemason. He is played by Jan Himilsbach (1931-1988), an untrained actor, ("Rejs" 1970) and prose writer ("Przepychanka" 1974). In the film, he works at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw. Some of the people begin to argue about the queue order: Piotr Fronczewski (actor), Marek Piwowski (director), Władysław Komar (athlete, actor). Himilsbach wakes up and talks about his gold rush dream with Jack London and Martin Eden. More people join the bar where he waits for 1 p.m. (alcohol is sold then). They ask him for a loan, Zbigniew Buczkowski (actor) is one of them. On the set, Himilsbach is asked to act consciously, however, he is mainly interested in the amount of his fee. Surprisingly enough, he talks about actors and their mission during a meeting with young people in the park. In his dreams, the man sees himself as a seductive satire (colored part). At the very end of the day, the protagonist performs in a cabaret group.

1984

The Bricklayer

The Bricklayer 1973

5.60

Krzysztof Kieslowski's protagonist is Joseph Malesa, a former party activist, labor leader and mason. The document talks about his career and life through ups and downs

1973

News Out From The Frying Pan

News Out From The Frying Pan 1960

1

The title pan (‘patelnia’ means pan) is a terrace on Gubałówka, where people can sunbathe even in the middle of winter. ‘Standing in the sunlight, everyone is only what they are’ - convinces the narrator. The sight is breathtaking.

1960

I Don't Know

I Don't Know 1977

4.60

The confession of a man who was the director of a factory in Lower Silesia. "He was a Party member but opposed to the Mafia-like organization of Party members which was active in that factory and region. Those people were stealing and debiting the factory account. He didn’t realize that people higher up were involved in the affair. And they finished him off.’ (Krzysztof Kieslowski)

1977

Talking Heads

Talking Heads 1980

7.80

People of different age, profession and social status answer two simple questions: who they are and what they want from life.

1980

First Shift

First Shift 1963

1

Documentary record of the first shift in Wujek coal mine in Silesia in 1962. We observe the course of events from the perspective of the mine's dispatcher at a modern desktop. We see one man, but the whole first shift crew is working.

1963