Łódż’s Path of 100 years of Polish Cinema

On 20th May an open-air exhibition was launched on Krakow’s Market Square to commemorate 100 years of Polish Cinema. A sound argument could be made that the three most interesting directors featured in the show are Cracovians (Andrzej Wajda, Wojciech Has and Roman Polanski).

But of course, the Krakow Post is not at all biased in this respect. And as it goes, another city deserves a full beam of the spotlight when it comes to movie-making. It was in Łódż that the first cinema on Polish soil was founded. It was also in Łódż that Poland’s legendary film school emerged after the war (graduates and teachers include the aforementioned Cracovian trio, and dozens more glittering names from Kieslowski to Zanussi). Łódż (pronounced woodch and dubbed “HollyŁódż”) even has its own “Walk of Fame,” with a line of gold stars studding ul. Piotrkowska, the main street. This summer, Łódż is launching a special film heritage trail for cinephiles, revealing all the most intriguing spots in the city. Along the way, movie buffs can check out the famed film school, the museum of cinematography, and sites where dozens of seminal Polish movies were made. More info will appear at the Filmowy Łódż website.