APF: Forbidden Songs | 2 x 2 = 4

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:

Forbidden Songs, directed by Leonard Buczkowski

2 x 2 = 4 — directed by Antoni Bohicz

After the screening of the films, the lecture will be given by: dr hab. Katarzyna Taras, prof. PWSFTvit

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.

Forbidden Songs (1946)

Directed by Leonard Buczkowski

“Forbidden Songs” was the first feature film made in Poland after World War II. The film grew out of the idea of Ludwik Starski, who collected songs sung in Warsaw's streets and yards during the occupation. Initially planned as a documentary, the project has developed into a full-length plot.

The story about the fate of the inhabitants of occupied Warsaw was built around songs, which during the war became a form of commentary, memory, humor and resistance. In the center of the story are Roman and Halina Tokarscy, with Jerzy Duszyński and Danuta Szaflarska in the lead roles. Alina Janowska and Hanka Bielicka also appeared in the film.

The film by Leonard Buczkowski became one of the symbolic beginnings of the reconstruction of post-war cinema. It combines the memory of recent events with the need to return to living history together through painting, music and popular storytelling. Its premiere took place in 1947, and the film itself was very popular with the audience.

2 x 2 = 4 (1945)

Director: Antoni Bohicz

“2 x 2 = 4” was created in 1945, in the first months of the reconstruction of Polish cinema after the Second World War. Antoni Bohicz's 33-minute film is one of the earliest post-war productions and combines staged scenes with journalistic commentary.

The film is clearly embedded in the political and social reality of the first post-war years. Using satire and agitational language, he portrays the conflicts involved in shaping a new social order. Despite its propaganda nature, it was not directed to normal distribution at the time.

Today, “2 x 2 = 4” is an interesting testimony to the moment when Polish cinema tried to find itself in completely new organizational, social and political conditions. It also allows us to look at how quickly after the war the film began to be used as a tool of public persuasion.