The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the communist government built an auteur-based national cinema, trained hundreds of new directors and empowered them to make films. Filmmakers like

Roman Polański Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Agnieszka Holland,

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

Andrzej Żuławski Andrzej Żuławski (; 22 November 1940 – 17 February 2016) was a Polish film director and writer. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in his films, and enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences. In the late 1 ...

Andrzej Munk Andrzej Munk (16 October 1921 – 20 September 1961) was a Polish film director, screen writer and documentalist. He was one of the most influential artists of the post-Stalinist period in the People's Republic of Poland. His feature films '' M ...

, and

Jerzy Skolimowski Jerzy Skolimowski (, born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début ''Oko wyk ...

impacted the development of Polish film-making. In more recent years, the industry has been producer-led with finance being the key to a film being made, and with many independent filmmakers of all genres, Polish productions tend to be more inspired by American film.

History

Early history

The first cinema was founded in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of ca ...

in 1899, several years after the invention of the Cinematograph. Initially dubbed ''Living Pictures Theatre'', it gained much popularity and by the end of the next decade there were cinemas in almost every major town of Poland. Arguably the first Polish filmmaker was

Kazimierz Prószyński Kazimierz Prószyński (4 April 1875 – 13 March 1945) was a Polish inventor active in the field of cinematography. He patented his first film camera, called Pleograph, before the Lumière brothers, and later went on to improve the cinema pr ...

, who filmed various short documentaries in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

. His pleograph film camera had been patented before the

Lumière brothers Lumière is French for ' light'. Lumiere, Lumière or Lumieres may refer to: *Lumières, the philosophical movement in the Age of Enlightenment People *Auguste and Louis Lumière, French pioneers in film-making Film and TV * Institut Lumière, a ...

' invention and he is credited as the author of the earliest surviving Polish documentary titled ''Ślizgawka w Łazienkach'' (''Skating-rink in the Royal Baths''), as well as the first short narrative films ''Powrót birbanta'' (''Rake's return home'') and ''Przygoda dorożkarza'' (''Cabman's Adventure''), both created in 1902. Another pioneer of cinema was Bolesław Matuszewski, who became one of the first filmmakers working for the Lumière company - and the official "cinematographer" of the Russian tsars in 1897. The earliest surviving

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, the ''Antoś pierwszy raz w Warszawie'' (''Antoś for the First Time in Warsaw'') was made in 1908 by Antoni Fertner. The date of its

première A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

, October 22, 1908, is considered the founding date of Polish

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, ...

. Soon Polish artists started experimenting with other genres of cinema: in 1910

Władysław Starewicz Ladislas Starevich (russian: Владисла́в Алекса́ндрович Старе́вич, pl, Władysław Starewicz; August 8, 1882 – February 26, 1965) was a Polish-Russian stop-motion animator notable as the author of the first pup ...

made one of the first animated cartoons in the world - and the first to use the stop motion technique, the ''Piękna Lukanida'' (''Beautiful Lukanida''). By the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the cinema in Poland was already in full swing, with numerous adaptations of major works of

Polish literature Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages used in Poland over the centuries have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Lati ...

screened (notably the '' Dzieje grzechu'', ''Meir Ezofowicz'' and '' Nad Niemnem''). During the World War I the Polish cinema crossed borders. Films made in Warsaw or Vilnius were often rebranded with German language intertitles and shown in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. That was how a young actress

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femm ...

(born Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec) gained fame in Germany and eventually became one of the European super-stars of

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

. The first woman to direct a film in Poland and the only female film director of the Polish silent film era was Nina Niovilla. She debuted in 1918 in Berlin, then directed her first Polish film titled ''Tamara'' (also known under the title ''Obrońcy Lwowa'') in 1919. During the World War II Polish filmmakers in Great Britain created anti-Nazi color film ''Calling Mr. Smith'' (1943) about current nazi crimes in occupied Europe and about lies of Nazi propaganda. It was one of the first anti-Nazi films in history being both avant-garde and documentary film.

After WWII

In November 1945 the communist government founded the film production and distribution organization Film Polski, and put the well-known Polish People's Army filmmaker

Aleksander Ford Aleksander Ford (born Mosze Lifszyc; 24 November 1908 in Kiev, Russian Empire – 4 April 1980 in Naples, Florida, U.S.) was a Polish film director; and head of the Polish People's Army Film Crew in the Soviet Union during World War II. Follo ...

in charge. Starting with a few railway carriages full of film equipment taken from the Germans they proceed to train and build a Polish film industry. The FP output was limited; only thirteen features were released between 1947 and its dissolution in 1952, concentrating on Polish suffering at the hands of the Nazis.Marek Haltof (2002).
Polish national cinema.
' Berghahn Books, p. 49. . In 1947 Ford moved to help establish the new National Film School in Łódź, where he taught for 20 years. The industry used imported cameras and film stocks. At first ORWO black and white film stock from East Germany and then Eastman colour negative stock and ORWO print stocks for rushes and release prints. Poland made its own lighting equipment. Because of the high costs of film stock Polish films were shot with very low shooting ratios, the amount of film stock used in shooting the film to length of the finished film. The equipment and film stock were not the best and budgets were modest but the film makers received probably the best training in the world from the Polish Film School. Another advantage was Film Polski's status as a state organisation, so its film-makers had access to all Polish institutions and their cooperation in making their films. Film cameras were able to enter almost every aspect of Polish life. The first film produced in Poland following the World War II was ''

Zakazane piosenki Zakazane piosenki (, ''Forbidden Songs'') is a 1946 Polish musical film directed by Leonard Buczkowski. It was the first feature film to be created in Poland following the six years of World War II. The film, set during the German occupation ...

'' (1946), directed by

Leonard Buczkowski Leonard Buczkowski (5 August 1900 – 19 February 1967) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. He directed 23 films between 1928 and 1966. His 1959 film '' The Eagle'' was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival. Sele ...

, which was seen by 10.8 million people (out of 23,8 total population) in its initial theatrical run. Buczkowski continued to make films regularly until his death in 1967. Other important films of early post-World War II period were ''

The Last Stage ''The Last Stage'' (Polish: ''Ostatni etap'') is a 1948 Polish feature film directed and co-written by Wanda Jakubowska, depicting her experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. The film was one of the early cinematic e ...

'' (1948), directed by Wanda Jakubowska, who continued to make films until the transition from communism to capitalism in 1989, and '' Border Street'' (1949), directed by Aleksander Ford. By the mid 1950s, following the end of Stalinism in Poland, Film production was organised into film groups. A film group was a collection of film makers, led by an experienced film director and consisting of writers, film directors and production managers. They would write scripts, create budgets, apply for funding off the Ministry of Culture and produce the picture. They would hire actors and crew, and use studios and laboratories controlled by Film Polski. The change in political climate gave rise to the

Polish Film School Polish Film School ( pl, Polska Szkoła Filmowa) refers to an informal group of Polish film directors and screenplay writers active between 1956 and approximately 1963. Among the most prominent representatives of the school are Andrzej Wajda, And ...

movement, a training ground for some of the icons of the world cinematography, e.g.,

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

(''

Knife in the Water ''Knife in the Water'' ( pl, Nóż w wodzie) is a 1962 Polish psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski in his feature debut, and starring Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, and Zygmunt Malanowicz. Its plot follows a husban ...

'', '' Rosemary's Baby'', '' Frantic'', '' The Pianist'') and

Krzysztof Zanussi Krzysztof Pius Zanussi (born 17 June 1939) is a Polish film and theatre director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop. He is ...

(a leading director of the so-called ''

cinema of moral anxiety The cinema of moral anxiety, pl, Kino moralnego niepokoju, was a short-lived (1976-1981) but influential movement in the history of the cinema of Poland. The term was also translated as "cinema of moral unrest", "cinema of moral concern", "cinema ...

'' of the 1970s).

's films offer insightful analyses of the universal element of the Polish experience - the struggle to maintain dignity under the most trying circumstances. His films defined several Polish generations. In 2000, Wajda was awarded an honorary Oscar for his overall contribution to cinema. Four of his films were nominated for

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

award at

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

with six other Polish directors receiving one nomination each:

, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Jerzy Hoffman, Jerzy Antczak, Agnieszka Holland and

Jan Komasa Jan Tadeusz Komasa (born October 28, 1981) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for directing '' Suicide Room'' (2011), '' Warsaw 44'' (2014), and ''Corpus Christi'' (2019), which was nominated for the Best Internatio ...

. In 2015, Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski received this award for his film '' Ida''. In 2019, he was also nominated to the award for his next film ''

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

'' in two categories -

and Best Director. It is also important to note that during the 1980s, the People's Republic of Poland instituted the

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...

to vanquish and censor all forms of opposition against the communist rule of the nation, including outlets such as cinema and radio. A notable film to have emerged during this period was Ryszard Bugajski's 1982 film '' Interrogation'' (''Przesluchanie''), which depicts the story of an unfortunate woman (played by

Krystyna Janda Krystyna Jolanta Janda (born 18 December 1952) is a Polish film and theater actress best known internationally for playing leading roles in several films by Polish director Andrzej Wajda, including '' Man of Marble'' (''Człowiek z marmuru'', 197 ...

) who is arrested and tortured by the secret police into confessing a crime she knows nothing about. The

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

nature of the film brought about the film's over seven-year ban. In 1989, the ban was repealed after the overthrow of the Communist government in Poland, and the film was shown in theaters for the first time later that year. The film is still lauded today for its audacity in depicting the cruelty of the Stalinist regime, as many artists feared persecution during that time. In the 1990s, Krzysztof Kieślowski won a universal acclaim with productions such as '' Dekalog'' (made for television), ''

The Double Life of Véronique ''The Double Life of Veronique'' (french: La double vie de Véronique, pl, Podwójne życie Weroniki) is a 1991 drama film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Irène Jacob. Written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the film expl ...

'' and the ''

Three Colors The ''Three Colours'' trilogy (french: Trois couleurs, pl, Trzy kolory) is the collective title of three psychological drama films directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski: '' Three Colours: Blue'' (1993), '' Three Colours: White'' (1994), and '' Thre ...

'' trilogy. Another of the most famous movies in Poland is Krzysztof Krauze’s '' The Debt'', which became a blockbuster. It showed the brutal reality of Polish capitalism and the growth of poverty. A considerable number of Polish film directors (e.g., Agnieszka Holland and

Janusz Kamiński Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (; born June 27, 1959) is a Polish cinematographer and director of film and television. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his films since 1993. He won the Academy Awa ...

) have worked in American studios. Polish animated films - like those by

Jan Lenica Jan Lenica (4 January 1928, Poznań, Poland – 5 October 2001, Berlin) was a Polish graphic designer and cartoonist. A graduate of the Architecture Department of Warsaw Polytechnic, Lenica became a poster illustrator and a collaborator on the e ...

and Zbigniew Rybczyński (Oscar, 1983) - drew on a long tradition and continued to derive their inspiration from Poland's graphic arts. Other notable Polish film directors include:

Tomasz Bagiński Tomasz "Tomek" Bagiński (, born 10 January 1976 in Białystok) is a Polish illustrator, animator, producer and director. He is a self-taught artist. Education Bagiński studied architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology. Works His fir ...

, Małgorzata Szumowska, Jan Jakub Kolski, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Stanisław Bareja and Janusz Zaorski. Among prominent annual film festivals taking place in Poland are: Warsaw International Film Festival, Camerimage, International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Camera,

New Horizons Film Festival New Horizons Film Festival (previously: Era New Horizons; pl: Nowe Horyzonty) is an international film festival held annually in July in Wrocław, Poland. It has been organised since 2001. It is one of the biggest and most popular film festivals ...

as well as Gdynia Film Festival and

Polish Film Awards Polish Film Award, or Eagle ( pl, Polska Nagroda Filmowa, „Orzeł”) is a film awards ceremony given annually since 1999, with the first event held on 21 June, by the National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers (KIPA). Since 2003 they are given ...

Cinema audience

The Communist government invested resources into building a sophisticated cinema audience. All the cinema were state owned and consisted of first run premiere cinema, local cinema and art house cinemas. Tickets were cheap and students and old people received discounts. In the city of Lodz there were 36 cinemas in the 1970s showing films from all over the world. There were the Italian films of Fellini, French comedies, American crime movies such as Don Siegel's "Charley Varrick" . Films were shown in their original versions with Polish subtitles. Anti-Communist and Cold War films were not shown, but a bigger restriction was the cost of some films. There were popular film magazines like "Film" and "Screen", critical magazines such as "Kino". This all helped to build a well informed film audience.

Notable films

Polish Film Academy

The

Polish Film Academy The Polish Film Academy (Polish: ''Polska Akademia Filmowa'') is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. History The Academy, founded in 2003, is composed of about 600 mo ...

was founded in 2003 in

and aims to provide native filmmakers a forum for discussion and a way to promote the reputation of Polish cinema through publications, presentations, discussions and regular promotion of the subject in the schools.

Awards

Since 2003, the winners of the

are elected by the members of the Academy. * 2003: '' The Pianist'' * 2004: ''Squint Your Eyes'' * 2005: '' The Wedding'' * 2006: '' The Collector'' * 2007: ''Savior Square'' * 2008: '' Katyń'' * 2009: ''

33 Scenes from Life ''33 Scenes from Life'' ( pl, 33 sceny z życia) is a 2008 Polish film directed by Małgorzata Szumowska. Plot The Polish artist Julia and her husband Piotr, a talented and successful composer, live in Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the ...

'' * 2010: '' Reverse'' * 2011: '' Essential Killing'' * 2012: ''

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

'' * 2013: ''

Manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

'' * 2014: '' Ida'' * 2015: '' Gods'' * 2016: '' Body'' * 2017: '' Volhynia'' * 2018: ''Silent Night'' * 2019: ''

'' * 2020: '' Corpus Christi'' * 2021: ''

Kill It and Leave This Town ''Kill It and Leave This Town'' ( pl, Zabij to i wyjedź z tego miasta) is a 2020 Polish adult animated psychological horror film created by Polish animator Mariusz Wilczyński, in his feature film debut, from a script developed alongside Agnieszka ...

'' * 2022: '' Quo Vadis, Aida?''

Film schools

Several institutions, both government run and private, provide formal education in various aspects of filmmaking. * National Film School in Łódź * University of Silesia in Katowice *Szkoła Wajdy *AMA Film Academy *Warszawska Szkoła Filmowa

Personalities

File:Andrzej-Wajda-1963.jpg,

File:Barbara Brylska.JPG,

Barbara Brylska Barbara Brylska (born 5 June 1941) is a Polish actress who gained critical acclaim in 1960s and was featured in numerous films throughout the countries of the Warsaw Pact including the Soviet Union. She is noted especially for her role as ''Nadya ...

File:MJK32641_Agnieszka_Holland_(Pokot,_Berlinale_2017)_crop.jpg, Agnieszka Holland File:Roman_Polanski_2011_2.jpg,

File:Krzysztof_Kieślowski_Portrait_1994.jpg, Krzysztof Kieślowski File:Pawel Pawlikowski (cropped).jpg, Paweł Pawlikowski File:Jan Englert Krystyna Janda Joanna Szczepkowska 2019 (cropped, only Janda).jpg,

File:Daniel Olbrychski 2019.jpg, Daniel Olbrychski File:JKRUK 20090828 ANDRZEJ SEWERYN W BUSKU-ZDROJU IMG 5364.jpg, Andrzej Seweryn File:2019 - Pol’and’Rock - Wojciech Pszoniak (01b).jpg, Wojciech Pszoniak File:Joanna Kulig 2.jpg, Joanna Kulig File:Janusz Gajos 2 (20782857433) (cropped).jpg, Janusz Gajos

Poland at international festivals

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

Grand Jury Prize A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

( ''Imperative'',

) * 1984

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguis ...

('' A Year of the Quiet Sun'',

) * 1993

('' Three Colours: Blue'', Krzysztof Kieślowski) * 2010

('' Essential Killing'',

) * 2016 Golden Lion Honorary Award (

)

Locarno Festival

* 1971 Golden Leopard ('' Znaki na drodze'', Andrzej Piotrowski) * 1973 Golden Leopard (''

The Illumination The Illumination ( pl: ''Iluminacja'') is a Polish film of 1973 directed by Krzysztof Zanussi to his own screenplay. The film contains elements of Zanussi's "intellectual biography", as well as documentary elements, e.g., appearances of philosoph ...

'',

) * 1986 Golden Leopard ('' Jezioro Bodenskie'', Janusz Zaorski) * 2008 Special Jury Prize (''

,'' Malgorzata Szumowska) * 2016 Best Actor Award ( Andrzej Seweryn, ''

The Last Family ''The Last Family'' ( pl, Ostatnia rodzina) is a 2016 Polish biographical film directed by Jan P. Matuszyński. The film won the Golden Lions for best film at the 2016 Gdynia Film Festival. Plot As renowned painter Zdzislaw Beksinski tapes everyt ...

'')

San Sebastian International Film Festival

* 1958

Golden Shell The Golden Shell ( es, Concha de Oro; eu, Urrezko Maskorra) is the highest prize given to a competing film at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It was introduced in 1957. In 1953 and 1954, the highest prize had been called the Gran Premio. In 19 ...

for Best Film (''Ewa chce spać'', Tadeusz Chmielewski) * 1967 Silver Shell for Best Director (

Janusz Morgenstern Janusz "Kuba" Morgenstern (16 November 1922 – 6 September 2011) was a Polish film director and producer. Janusz Morgenstern was born in 1922 to a Jewish family in the town of Mikulińce, Poland (now Mykulyntsi, Ukraine), to Dawid Morgenstern ...

, ''Yowita'') * 1976 Silver Shell for Best Actor (Zdzisław Kozien, ''Skazany'') * 1980

for Best Film ('' The Orchestra Conductor'',

) * 1985

for Best Film ('' Yesterday'', Radosław Piwowarski) * 1985 Silver Shell for Best Actor (Piotr Siwkiewicz, '' Yesterday'') * 1989 Silver Shell for Best Director (Mirosław Bork, ''Konsul'') * 1992

Silver Shell for Best Actress The Silver Shell for Best Actress (Spanish: ''Concha de Plata a la Mejor Interpretacion Femenina''; Basque: ''Aktore onenaren Zilarrezko Maskorra'') was one of the main awards presented at the San Sebastián International Film Festival to the Best ...

(

, ''Zwolnieni z życia'')

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

* 1957 Jury Prize ( ''Kanał'',

) *

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

Jury Prize (''

Mother Joan of the Angels ''Mother Joan of the Angels'' ( pl, Matka Joanna od Aniołów, also known as ''The Devil and the Nun'') is a 1961 Polish art film on demonic possession, directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, based on a novella of the same title by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz ...

'', Jerzy Kawalerowicz) * 1973 Jury Prize ('' The Hour-Glass Sanatorium'',

Wojciech Jerzy Has Wojciech Jerzy Has (1 April 1925, Kraków – 3 October 2000, Łódź) was a Polish film director, screenwriter and film producer. Early life and studies Wojciech Jerzy Has was born in Kraków. Has himself was agnostic. However, his fam ...

) * 1978

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

('' The Shout'',

) *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

Jury Prize ('' The Constant Factor'',

) * 1981 Palme d'Or (''

Man of Iron ''Man of Iron'' ( pl, Człowiek z żelaza) is a 1981 film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It depicts the Solidarity labour movement and its first success in persuading the Polish government to recognize the workers' right to an independent union. Th ...

'',

) *

Best Actress ( Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak) * 1988 Jury Prize (''

A Short Film About Killing ''A Short Film About Killing'' ( pl, Krótki film o zabijaniu) is a 1988 drama film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Mirosław Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, and Jan Tesarz. Written by Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the fi ...

'', Krzysztof Kieślowski) *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

Best Actress (

) * 1998

Cinéfondation La ''Cinéfondation'' is a foundation under the aegis of the Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Fest ...

(''Jakub'', Adam Guzinski) * 2002 Palme d'Or ( ''The Pianist'',

) *

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Best Director ( ''Cold War'', Paweł Pawlikowski)

Berlin International Film Festival

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (also Jury Grand Prix, Grand Prize of the Jury) is an award given by the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition. It is the runner-up to the Golden Bear prize an ...

( ''Repulsion'', Roman Polanski) * 1976 Silver Bear for Best Actress (

Jadwiga Barańska Jadwiga Barańska (born 21 October 1935) is a Polish actress and screenwriter. Jadwiga Barańska is married to Polish director Jerzy Antczak and the mother of Mikołaj Antczak, born in 1964. Selected filmography * ''Wraki'' (1956) as Irena * '' ...

) *

Silver Bear for Best Actor ( Andrzej Seweryn) * 1981 Silver Bear for Best Actress ( Barbara Grabowska) *

( ''Shivers'', Wojciech Marczewski) *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

Silver Bear for Best Director ( ''Three Colors: White'', Krzysztof Kieślowski) * 2006 Honorary Golden Bear (

) *

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

Alfred Bauer Prize (''

Tatarak ''Sweet Rush'' (Polish: ''Tatarak'') is a 2009 Polish drama film directed by Andrzej Wajda. The film won the Alfred Bauer Prize (in tie with '' Giant'') at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in 2009. The film is based on a small-town in ...

'',

) * 2010 Silver Bear for Best Director (''

The Ghost Writer ''The Ghost Writer'' is a 1979 novel by the American author Philip Roth. It is the first of Roth's novels narrated by Nathan Zuckerman, one of the author's putative fictional alter egos, and constitutes the first book in his '' Zuckerman Bound' ...

'',

) * 2015 Silver Bear for Best Director ('' Body'', Malgorzata Szumowska) * 2016

Silver Bear for Best Screenplay The Silver Bear for Best Screenplay (german: Silberner Bär/Bestes Drehbuch) is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in Screenwriting. Winners See also * Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay References Ex ...

(''United States of Love'', Tomasz Wasilewski) * 2017 Alfred Bauer Prize ( ''Spoor'', Agnieszka Holland) *

( ''Mug'', Małgorzata Szumowska)

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

* 1942 Academy Honorary Award (''

Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcor ...

'', Leopold Stokowski) * 1954 Academy Award for Best Original Score ('' Lili'', Bronisław Kaper) * 1983 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film ('' Tango'', Zbigniew Rybczyński) *

Academy Award for Best Cinematography ('' Schindler's List'',

) *

Academy Award for Best Production Design ('' Schindler's List'',

Allan Starski Allan Mieczysław Starski (born 1 January 1943 in Warsaw) is a Polish Oscar-winning production designer and set decorator. Life and career Allan Starski is the son of Ludwik Starski (originally Ludwik Kałuszyner) famous screenwriter and songwri ...

) *

Academy Award for Best Production Design ('' Schindler's List'', Ewa Braun) *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

Academy Award for Best Cinematography ('' Saving Private Ryan'',

) * 2000 Academy Honorary Award (

) * 2003

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

('' The Pianist'',

) * 2005 Academy Award for Best Original Score ('' Finding Neverland'',

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek Jan Andrzej Paweł Kaczmarek (; born 29 April 1953) is a Polish composer. He has written scores for more than 70 feature films and documentaries, including '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), for which score he won an Oscar and a National Board of ...

) *

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film ('' Peter & the Wolf'',

Suzie Templeton Suzanah Clare Templeton (born 1967 in Hampshire, England) is a British animator. Her film ''Peter and the Wolf'' has won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2008. Early life Raised at Highfield in Sout ...

imdb - Academy Awards, U

/ref>) * 87th Academy Awards, 2015

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

('' Ida'', Paweł Pawlikowski)

European Film Awards

* 1988 European Film Award for Best Film (''

'', Krzysztof Kieślowski) *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

European Discovery of the Year ('' 300 Miles to Heaven'', Maciej Dejczer) *

European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award The following is a list of the European Film Award winners for Lifetime Achievement: Winners References External linksEuropean Film Academy archive {{European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime Achievement Lifetime achieveme ...

(

) * 1991

European Film Award for Best Documentary The European Film Award for Best Documentary or Prix Arte has been awarded annually since 1989 by the European Film Academy. Special Mentions were presented alongside the winner of the award until 1993, since 1999 a set of nominees are presented o ...

('' Hear My Cry'',

Maciej Drygas Maciej Drygas (born 1956 in Łódź) is a Polish documentary filmmaker. Career Following graduation from the Directing Department of the Moscow All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), also known as the Gerasimov Institute of Cine ...

) * 2002 European Film Award for Best Cinematographer (

Paweł Edelman Paweł Edelman (born 26 June 1958) is a Polish cinematographer from Łódź, known for his collaborations with acclaimed directors Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda. He was named Best European Cinematographer in 2002 at the European Film Awards fo ...

, '' The Pianist'') * 2006

(

) *

European Film Award for Best Costume Designer (Magdalena Biedrzycka, '' Katyń'') *

European Film Award for Best Short Film (''Poste restane'', Marcel Łoziński) * 2010 European Film Award for Best Short Film (''Hanoi – Warsaw'', Katarzyna Klimkiewicz) * 2010

European Film Award for Best Director The European Film Award for Best Director is an award given out at the annual European Film Awards to recognize a director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in a film industry. The award is presented by the European Film Acade ...

(

, ''

'') * 2010

European Film Award for Best Screenwriter The European Film Award for Best Screenwriter is an award given out at the annual European Film Awards to recognize a screenwriter who has delivered an outstanding screenplay in a film industry. The award is presented by the European Film Academy ( ...

(

, ''

'') *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

European Film Award for Best Film ('' Ida'', Paweł Pawlikowski) *

( Paweł Pawlikowski, '' Ida'') *

European Film Award for Best Cinematographer ( Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski, '' Ida'') *

( Paweł Pawlikowski, '' Ida'') *

People's Choice Award for Best European Film ( Paweł Pawlikowski, '' Ida'') * 2015

European Film Award for Best Editor European Film Award for Best Editor is an award category in the European Film Awards. The European Film Awards are presented annually by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in o ...

(Jacek Drosio, '' Body'') * 2016 People's Choice Award for Best European Film ( Małgorzata Szumowska, '' Body'') * 2016 European Film Award for Best Sound Designer (Radosław Ochnio, '' 11 Minutes) * 2017 European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film (''

Loving Vincent ''Loving Vincent'' ( pl, Twój Vincent) is a 2017 experimental adult animated biographical drama film about the life of the painter Vincent van Gogh, and, in particular, about the circumstances of his death. It is the first fully painted animat ...

'',

Dorota Kobiela Dorota Kobiela (born 1978) is a Polish filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is best known for co-directing her first fully painted animated feature film ''Loving Vincent'' (2017) with Hugh Welchman. Career Kobiela conceived ''Loving Vin ...

and Hugh Welchman) * 2017

('' Communion'', Anna Zamecka) * 2017 European Film Award for Best Costume Designer (Katarzyna Lewińska, '' Spoor'') *

European Film Award for Best Film (''

'', Paweł Pawlikowski) *

( Paweł Pawlikowski, ''

'') *

European Film Award for Best Actress ( Joanna Kulig, ''

'') *

European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film ('' Another Day of Life'', Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow) *

(Jarosław Kamiński, ''

'') *

( Paweł Pawlikowski, ''