Andrzej Wajda Centennial

Marking the 100th anniversary of his birth and the 10th anniversary of his death, Poland declared 2026 the year of Andrzej Wajda—one of the most influential figures in Polish and world cinema, whose work and public engagement played a decisive role in bringing Polish film to international audiences. Having gained global recognition with films such as Kanał, Ashes and Diamonds, and The Promised Land, Wajda remained actively involved in cultural and educational initiatives throughout his life.

A constant thread in Wajda’s incredibly varied filmography is the exploration of the history of his homeland, narrativizing how individuals and identities are shaped within wartime experience, propaganda, repression, and moments of resistance and political transformation of a nation.  His defiant outlook was also matched with a poetic sensibility, powerful visual language and a mastery of narrative, and his films are as moving and inspiring as they are provocative and influential.

Wajda’s impact expand beyond Poland to influence filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, and he was awarded an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2000. As part of the North American tour of the 29-film retrospective of his work available only in 2026, this 11-film series from across his more than six-decade career brings together his most known and celebrated work with those deserving to be discovered, many in brand new 4K restorations, highlighting the diversity of his oeuvre.