Polish Film Festival

The Polish-Canadian Society of Nova Scotia presents two public screenings of Polish films.

The Death of Captain Pilecki is a story of the Polish Intelligence officer who wrote the first intelligence report on Auschwitz in 1941, which enabled the Polish Government in exile to convince the Western Allies that the Holocaust atrocities were taking place. He volunteered for Polish resistance operations and was willingly imprisoned in Auschwitz in order to gather intelligence. While there, Pilecki organized a resistance movement and escaped from after nearly two and a half years of imprisonment. He took part in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, remained loyal to the London-based Polish government, and was executed in 1948 by the communist secret police. This film is co-presented with the Polish Consul in Nova Scotia, Mr. Jan Skora, and the Polish Embassy in Ottawa, to celebrate Polish Constitution Day. The Death of Captain Pilecki will be screened at 7pm on May 30.

Ida is this year’s winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Set in 1962, it tells the story of a young Polish woman who discovers, just before she takes her vows to be a Catholic nun, that she is Jewish. With her aunt, a tough, chain-smoking Communist party member, the sheltered and devout young woman travels to the village where their family was hidden by Christians during the war and then betrayed. With its iconic, black-and-white cinematography and beautifully drawn characters, Ida has inspired awe in audiences around the world. It is co-presented with the Atlantic Jewish Council. Ida will be screened at 3pm on May 31.

Admission is $5 per screening or $8 for both screenings.