Ashes and Diamonds (Popiół I Diament) 12A

"★★★★★ – Everywhere in this film is sadness and a kind of delirium" – Guardian

In the last days of the Second World War, Maciek, a Polish resistance fighter, is tasked with the assassination of a Communist official. When he meets Krystyna, he is offered a glimpse of a world beyond war and destruction, and begins to question his assignment.

Wajda’s classic drama, which cemented his position as a world-class filmmaker, features an iconic central performance by Cybulski – the ‘Polish James Dean’ – who contributes immeasurably to this probing look at the complex post-war future for a new nation and its people. It’s essential viewing.

In Polish with English subtitles.

Screening for Andrzej Wajda's Centenary, in partnership with Kinoteka on Tour, part of the 24th Kinoteka Polish Film Festival.