Go to PFFF at Kino Wisła if you want to know more about Polish cinema!
Kino Wisła, like some other movie theaters in Warsaw, does not focus only on the latest blockbusters but instead offers cool non-commercial movies, “artistic” movies, old classics and documentaries.
Kino Wisła also organizes interesting events. The coolest of all, at least for me, is Polish Film For Foreigners.
Polish Film For Foreigners at Kino Wisła
If you want to know more about Polish classic movies or if you want to stay up to date with the most recent Polish contemporary movies, I am sure you will like Polish Film For Foreigners.
Why is PFFF super cool?
It’s super cool because:
- It’s a great experience! You get to see good movies that you probably wouldn’t watch otherwise.
- You also participate in interesting Q&A.
- You meet the artists: actors, directors or the like.
- It’s every two weeks, which is a perfect frequency to go to the cinema (at least for me)!
- You watch Polish movies in original language with English subtitles. Great if you are trying to learn or improve your Polish.
- You can surprise your Polish friends with delightful pills of knowledge about Polish cinema. They will be very happy to see that you are enjoying Polish culture (and not just Polish vodka! Nothing wrong with that, if you want to go for a tasting tour click here)!
How does a typical evening look like?
The whole experience lasts about 2 hours, depending on the length of the movie.
Before the actual screening, one of the organizers opens the event with a brief introduction to the movie. This is quite nice, especially if you haven’t read anything about the movie.
Then, after the movie, the event concludes with a live Q&A session (in English) with either the director or some actors! And this can be a very interesting experience, especially when you don’t know the actors:
it’s like if the actors walked out of the screen into the movie theater, to fulfill the audience’s need for further details about the movie.
You know what I mean?
Two examples of movies which were screened at PFFF…
…All the sleepless nights
The first time I went to PFFF they screened “All The Sleepless Nights”, a modern and intimate portrait of twenty-year-olds Varsovians in 2016.
I wouldn’t have heard of this movie if it hadn’t been for PFFF. And if I did, I’d probably have problems finding it with English subtitles.
It was an interesting experience to watch this Warsaw-based movie here in Warsaw. I felt as if I was a character of the movie.
If you live in Warsaw, I definitely recommend you to watch it.
…Pokot (Spoor)
Another interesting screening was “Pokot” (“Spoor” in English).
Pokot is a movie about a series of mysterious crimes, an elderly woman, and the everyday life in a secluded Polish village.
The movie is a masterful depiction of contemporary Poland and its internal fight between conservative views and progressive views.
Or, to put it in Agnieszka’s own words, “a cry of despair in defense of those who are not important, respected and weak”, which shows the “crush between two very different mentalities, impossible to resolve”.
“It was very difficult to pitch Pokot. In our time, people are very square. They want to know what genre the movie is and what kind of people it will target. But I didn’t know what to tell them. So I came up with: Pokot is an Anarchist-feminist-ecological thriller with elements of dark comedy and fairy tale”. Agnieszka Holland
Pokot covers important topics, like women’s rights and ecology, which makes it super relevant to our days.
What can a single middle age woman do, to fight against a society she doesn’t believe in?
It turns out, she can do a lot. But only if she’s the protagonist of a movie.
At the end of the screening, we had a Q&A session with Agnieszka Holland, the director of the film. Agnieszka is one of Poland’s greatest filmmakers today, with her Oscar Nominations for “Europe Europe” and “In Darkness”, a golden globe for “Europe Europe” and an Alfred Bauer Prize (Silver Bear) for Pokot (Spoor) at the Berlin International Film Festival (She also directed two episodes of House of Cards).
Needless to say, it was a very interesting session!
Final tips
TIPS:
- like Polish Film For Foreigners page on facebook, because you will receive their updates about which movie is planned next.
- PFFF tickets are often sold out at the door. Get yours online well in advance.
- If you can’t figure out how to buy the ticket on novekino.pl: go to the “Repertuar” section of the website > hover over the hour of screening > click “kup bilet”.
- print your ticket and skip the line!
Further info about Kino Wisła and PFFF
Website: http://www.novekino.pl/kina/wisla/index.php
Kino Wisła on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KinoWisla/
Location: Plac Wilsona 2 Warsaw, Poland
Price range: from 16 to 19 zl for normal tickets. Cheap Monday for couples for 10zl each on selected movies.
Polish Films For Foreigners on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErasmusCinemaPFFF/
What do you think? Have you ever been there? Which was your favorite movie?
Let me know what you think.