The sixth Polish Film Festival is underway in New York, albeit in the shadow of the Smolensk tragedy.
The 6th Polish Film Festival has kicked off in New York, although the tone is grave after the Smolensk tragedy, in which 96 people perished, including Lech Kaczynski, the president.
In a letter to festival goers, Jacek Bromski, head of the Polish Filmmakers Association, writes that “it is a time of sorrow and reflection,” adding that “in New York, in a year or two maybe we will see show a film on what happened on 10 April.”
The festival’s programme includes pictures on Poland’s history, such as acclaimed director Andrzej Wajda’s ‘Katyn’ and Ryszard Bugajski’s ‘General Nil’, about General August Fieldorf who was sentenced to death by the Communist regime in the 1950s.
Other films set to be screened are the award-winning ‘Reverse’ and ‘Little Moscow’.
Andrzej Wajda and the Polish Consulate in New York are the honorary patrons of the festival, which is to last until 4 May. (jb)