Andrzej Wajda Retrospective

2026 marks 100 years since the birth of one of Poland’s greatest filmmakers, Andrzej Wajda. Recipient of every major international film honour, including the Palme d’Or and an Academy Honorary Award, Wajda’s influence on Polish cinema is undisputed.

One of the most influential filmmakers of post-war Europe, Wajda understood cinema as a moral, civic and political act. His films confront the defining experiences of the twentieth century: war, occupation, totalitarianism and the struggle for freedom, while asking enduring questions about individual responsibility, compromise and resistance. In a time of renewed geopolitical tension and historical revisionism, Wajda’s work remains urgently relevant.

Having influenced global cinematic greats such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, Wajda was a master of exploring how historical events shape both an individual and a nation, while remaining equally committed to portraying complex human relationships.

Join Storyhouse throughout May for a major retrospective of films by Andrzej Wajda. Starting with the essential Ashes and Diamonds (1958), the season includes the jazz-inflected Innocent Sorcerers (1960), the monumental Man of Marble (1979) and Man of Iron (1981), and his late-career masterpiece, Katyń (2007).

This retrospective is presented as part of KINOTEKA on Tour and the 24th KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival, in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute.

Check out the full programme at: kinoteka.org.uk