Amsterdam Polish Film Festival - Andrzej Wajda. Past Present Possible

The Amsterdam Polish Film Festival returns to De Balie, Amsterdam, from 22 - 30 October 2026, for its fifth edition, dedicated to Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda. Marking 100 years since his birth and 10 years since his death, the festival presents iconic films, discussions and emerging talent from the Wajda School, exploring how cinema engages with history, freedom, politics and society. One hundred years after his birth and ten years after his death

Under the title Andrzej Wajda. Past. Present. Possible., the festival presents a selection of films from Wajda’s extensive body of work, including Innocent Sorcerers, The Promised Land, Man of Marble, Man of Iron and Afterimage. Screenings are complemented by introductions and conversations with filmmakers, film historians and other experts.

Wajda’s films explore themes that remain highly relevant today: the influence of history on the present, the relationship between art and power, and questions of identity, freedom, propaganda and truth. The Promised Land examines ambition and power within industrial capitalism, while Man of Marble and Man of Iron explore the tensions between propaganda, truth and resistance. In Afterimage, Wajda portrays an artist whose commitment to artistic freedom brings him into conflict with political authority.

The festival invites audiences not only to revisit Wajda’s work, but also to consider how the questions raised by his films resonate in the world today.

A special part of the programme focuses on the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. Films by a new generation of filmmakers demonstrate how Wajda’s artistic legacy continues to inspire emerging talent and how young directors are developing new perspectives on people, society and cinema.