SPECIAL EVENTS

POWIDOKI

2016 / 100 min / color

The protagonist of Andrzej Wajda’s final film is Władysław Strzemiński, a great visionary Polish painter from the 20th century. Beyond his art practice, Strzemiński was a formidable art theorist, essayist, and teacher – roles that resonate deeply within Wajda’s narrative. A pioneer of the interwar constructivist avant-garde and the creator of the theory of Unism, Strzemiński became a symbol of artistic integrity. After 1949, his refusal to succumb to the rigid dictates of Socialist Realism and Communist rule led to devastating consequences for his career as well as his private life. In Afterimage, Wajda portrays the harrowing struggle of an individual confronting a brutal system, illustrating the power of politics to destroy a human life. Bogusław Linda delivers what he considers the most challenging and profound performance of his career, brilliantly capturing the spirit of the defiant disabled artist. The film serves as a poignant tribute to a generation of visual artists whose lives were deeply impacted by the trauma of war. Wajda himself studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków after the war, and spent a lifetime returning to this medium to find solutions for his cinematic dilemmas.

• Gdynia FF – Special Jury Award
• “Ekran” Toronto Polish Film Festival – Best Film