The annual, two-part festival presents classic Polish cinema as well as contemporary works produced by the newest generation of the country’s filmmakers. It showcases internationally recognized films that might not otherwise be seen in the area and attracts renowned Polish actors, directors, screenwriters, and critics to Rochester.

Schedule:

A double feature of The Magician and Knife in the Water will be shown starting at 7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m: The Magician
1962, 12 minutes
Directed and written by: Tadeusz Makarczyński
An allegorical story about a group of children entertained by a seemingly harmless beachside magician who eventually lures them into playing with real weapons.

7:30 p.m: Knife in the Water
Nóż w wodzie
1962, 94 minutes
Directed by: Roman Polański
Written by: Roman Polański, Jerzy Skolimowski, and Jakub Goldberg
Music by: Krzysztof Komeda
Principal cast: Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz

Roman Polanski’s first feature is a brilliant psychological thriller that many critics still consider among his greatest work. It is a film that created turmoil in communist Poland, angered First Secretary Władysław Gomułka, and launched the international career of Roman Polanski. A journalist takes his much younger wife on a boat trip in the Masurian Lake District. A young hitchhiker stops them on the way, which nearly results in a car crash. The journalist decides to take him along on a trip in his luxurious yacht. While on board, the men start competing for the woman’s attention, and the antagonism between them grows. A violent confrontation is inevitable.

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