French Seal of Approval for Polish Greats

Seasoned actresses Krystyna Janda and Maja Komorowska have been awarded the coveted Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

The actresses accepted the honour in the French Embassy in Warsaw, in the company of actor Maciej Englert and director Andrzej Wajda. The latter’s career is especially entwined with the laureates. Janda, who now runs her own theatre, took the key role in Wajda’s celebrated Man of Marble and Man of Iron, arguably the most significant films of the Solidarity era. French ambassador Francois Barry Delongchamps emphasised the bold statement those movies made to the world 30 years ago. Maja Komorowska, herself involved in the Solidarity movement, was recently on screen in Wajda’s Katyń, and in her long career she has worked with several of Poland’s most notable directors, including Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Zanussi.

Meanwhile, Polish cinema continues to garner Gallic approval. The third Polish “Filmoteka Festival” was launched in Paris in late November, with Borys Lankosz’s The Reverse winning enthusiastic reviews.

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