APF: Warsaw Uprising | We call on Mr. Smith

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:

“Warsaw Uprising” — directed by Jan Komasa

“We Call on Mr. Smith” — directed by Franciszka Themerson, Stefan Themerson

After the screening of the films, the lecture will be given by: dr Krzysztof Trojanowski, 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.

Warsaw Uprising (2014)

Directed by Jan Komasa

“Warsaw Uprising” is a film assembled from authentic chronicling materials recorded during the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944. The archival images were reconstructed and colorized, and the material was organized into a story conducted from the perspective of two young reporters. The film is 83 minutes long.

Jan Komasa's project raises questions not only about the historical event itself, but also about the way contemporary cinema works with archival material. The images recorded by the participants of the events after decades receive a new form and go to the next generations of viewers. The official program of the APF presents the film precisely as an example of modern reading of the insurgent chronicles.

We Call on Mr. Smith (1943)

Directed by Franciszka Themerson, Stefan Themerson

“We Call on Mr. Smith” was created during World War II, when Francis and Stefan Themerson were in the UK. The short film uses photographs, documentary materials, editing and experimental visual means, combining the language of the avant-garde with the propaganda message of the war. In the program of the Polish Film Academy, the film is 9 minutes long.

This is an example of cinema created in special historical conditions — a film that was intended not only to document and inform, but also to influence the viewer. The avant-garde language of the Themersons is used here to tell the story of the experience of war and violence in Europe.