Short Films

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Classics Revisited

ASHES AND DIAMONDS
POPIÓL I DIAMENT

• Director: Andrzej Wajda
• POLAND / 1958 / DCP / B&W / 109' / Polish; Turkish, English s.t.

• Screenplay: Jerzy Andrzejewski, Andrzej Wajda
• Original Work: Jerzy Andrzejewski
• Director of Photography: Jerzy Wójcik
• Editing: Halina Nawrocka
• Music: Filip Nowak
• Cast: Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzewska, Waclaw Zastrzezynski, Adam Pawlikowski, Bogumil Kobiela, Halina Kwiatkowska
• Producer: Stanisław Adler
• Production Co.: Zespól filmowych "Kadr"
• World Sales: Documentary and Feature Film Studio (WFDiF)

1959 Venice FIPRESCI Prize

A foundational work of Polish cinema and Andrzej Wajda’s definitive masterpiece, mentioned by many filmmakers from Miyazaki to Coppola as one of the favourite films, Ashes and Diamonds returns to the silver screen celebrating the Wajda Year. Set on the final day of World War II in May 1945, the film captures the tragic tension of a nation at a crossroads through the story of Maciek, a young Resistance fighter. Tasked with assassinating a representative of the new Communist regime, Maciek finds himself torn between his sense of duty and a newfound longing for a normal life amidst the first hours of peace. Featuring the iconic performance of Zbigniew Cybulski –often called the ‘Polish James Dean’ – and masterfully high-contrast cinematography, the film remains a visceral portrait of a generation caught in the grinding gears of history. Wajda was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award of Istanbul Film Festival in 2014.

This film is screened with the generous support of the Consulate General of Poland in Istanbul and Adam Mickiewicz Institute in collaboration with the Documentary and Feature Film Studios (WFDiF).

This film was a Meetings on the Bridge participant.