March ’68

MARCH ’68

MASSACHUSETTS PREMIERE

Q&A with Lilka Elbaum, scriptwriter and protagonist of the documentary Still Life in Lodz

In this gripping love story set against the volatile backdrop of late-1960s Communist Warsaw, Hania, a vivacious theater student, and Janek a charming student and budding photographer, fall deeply in love. As the government crackdown on protesting students escalates, Hania undergoes a political awakening which includes acknowledging that her fellow Jewish citizens are being persecuted in a series of antisemitic purges conducted in response to the hate-fueled rhetoric of Poland’s leader Władysław Gomułka. Unsure if the political winds will abate or escalate, her family weighs emigration. Hania wants to stay with Janek but things spiral out of control, leading to a powerful climax set during the infamous events of March 1968. Warsaw-born Director Krzysztof Lang, drew inspiration from his own life in making this passionate and suspenseful film that lies at the collision of history and romance.

Director: Krzysztof Lang | Poland | 2022 | 122m | Polish with English subtitles

Having learned of the death of our friend and colleague Polish-born filmmaker Marian Marzynski, who passed away on April 4 at age 85, we present this screening in his memory.  Marzynski, with whom our Center worked for many years, especially on his excellent personal documentaries Settlement and Never Forget to Lie, was a prolific filmmaker, producing films for PBS’s Frontline and many about his own remarkable life. Read more about Marian: PBS obituary, Forward obituary.

Sunday, May 7, 6:45 pm
Coolidge Corner Theatre

SCREENING COMPLETED