APF: Halka | In the Land of the X Muses

Another meeting of the Polish Film Academy at the Student Cinema “Blue Blanket” in Toruń, realized in cooperation with the National Film Archive — Audiovisual Institute.

In the program:

Halka — directed by Juliusz Gardan,

In the Land of the X Muses, directed by Witold Dunin-Bredsznajder.

After the screening of the films, the lecture will be given by: dr hab. Małgorzata Lisecka, prof. UMK

The meeting takes place as part of the first semester of the APF Plot “In Search of Identity. Polish Cinema until 1956”, dedicated to the development of cinema on Polish soil in the first half century of its existence — from pioneering productions to the first works of the Polish Film School.

The Polish Film Academy is a nationwide educational program of the National Film Archive — Audiovisual Institute, which disseminates knowledge about the history of Polish cinematography. Each meeting combines a film lecture with a film screening, allowing us to look at indigenous cinema through its creators, genres, themes and historical contexts.

In the academic year 2026/2027, Toruń for the first time joins the group of cities where the program of the Polish Film Academy is implemented.

Skirt (1929/1932)

Director: Konstanty Meglicki

Konstanty Meglicki's Halka is one of the pre-war film adaptations of Stanisław Moniuszko's opera. The story of Halka's unhappy love for Janusz was transferred to the screen according to a script by Jerzy Braun, using the main themes of the opera prototype.

The film was made in 1929 as a silent picture, at a time when the cinema was already on the verge of a great technological change. Initially, the projections were accompanied by a musical illustration reproduced from gramophone records. In 1932, the film was voiced, thanks to which it became in itself a testimony of the transition of Polish cinematography from silent cinema to sound cinema.

The role of Halka was played by Zorika Szymańska, and Janusz was played by Harry Cort. The story of affection, social differences and betrayal allows us to look not only at the way opera was adapted for the needs of film, but also at the language of Polish cinema in one of the most important moments of its technological transformation.

In the Land of the X Muses

Directed by Witold Dunin-Bredsznajder

A short reportage from the early 1930s takes viewers behind the scenes of a pre-war film studio. The actor talks about working on the set in the era of silent cinema, while the sound operator shows the changes brought about by the appearance of sound film, including the way of recording sound on film tape. The video lasts about 10 minutes.