The Battle of Warsaw 1920

The Battle of Warsaw 1920, a new film by Jerzy Hoffman released this week. The movie tells the story of Polish – Bolshevik War of 1920 and the Battle of Warsaw, the pivotal moment in the war which stopped the spread of communism in Central and Western Europe.

The first world war is over; people are enjoying peace. But the Red Army is approaching and Lenin has ideas of world revolution. The Polish unite to resist and stop the Red Army outside Warsaw. In part this is a love story as well as a history lesson. We follow two newly married people caught up in the conflict. We sway back and forth from the front-lines, back to Warsaw, as the Red Army pushes east.

Wojtek The Bear That Went to War

Screening of Polish-British documentary about the bear who fought in World War Two: Wojtek The Bear That Went to War on Tuesday, November 15th, 6.30pm at Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, London W6 9RL

Wojtek The Bear That Went to War, directed by Will Hood and Adam Lavis, Narrated by Brian Blessed, and produced by Animal Monday and Braidmade Films, is the story of Wojtek the Soldier Bear – a magnificent 500lb military bear who fought in World War Two alongside a band of Polish soldiers, shared their beer and cigarettes – and eventually their fate. Told by those that knew him, his story will capture the imagination and provide a very different perspective of the Polish war story.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director and veterans who knew Wojtek

Tickets: £8.50/7.50 cons.

More from BBC Scotland: Wojtek: the Polish soldier bear who lived at Edinburgh Zoo

In his own lifetime, Wojtek, a Syrian brown bear adopted by Polish soldiers in the Second World War, was a celebrity among his comrades. Seven decades on, in Scotland, his legend is undergoing a renaissance thanks to the efforts both of the Polish community itself and of local artists and writers.

Acquired as an orphaned cub in Iran, the young Wojtek was soon well-travelled: with the Artillery Supply Command of the Polish Second Corps he saw fighting in the deserts of north Africa, where the Second Corps joined the British fight against Rommel’s forces, and in Italy…

The Polish Americans on PBS

The Polish Americans applauds the spirit, determination and solidarity of an immigrant success story like no other. Using vintage film footage, family photos, personal recollections and experiences, this documentary special embodies Polish pride in a televised “family album” of the Polish-American experience.

The Polish Americans takes viewers to the bastions of Polonia across the United States, from New York City and Schenectady to Cleveland and Chicago, where parents instill in their children the virtues and values of their native land and a love of its traditions, like the pierogi so many mothers filled and pinched just right.

While strongly American and part of the larger culture, Polish Americans maintained a desire to keep their heritage alive — with rewarding results. The Polish Americans celebrates these proud achievements.

The Officer’s Wife

The Officer’s Wife was screened in Chicago on Friday, October 7th at the Copernicus Center. The screening was sponsored by the Polish American Congress.

Piotr Uzarowicz’s grandfather was one of the nearly 22,000 Polish prisoners of war executed in the Katyn massacre of 1940. Piotr recently completed “The Officer’s Wife,” a documentary about Katyn and the far-reaching effects the massacre – and its cover-up – had on the Uzarowicz family. The film is an ode not just to Piotr’s grandfather: Piotr’s grandmother and father, deported to Siberia during the war, are also key players – as is Piotr himself, who journeys to Poland, Russia, England, Canada, Ukraine and the U.S. on his film-making and personal odyssey. “The Officer’s Wife” was first previewed in May at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York.

Warsaw Jewish Film Festival

The Warsaw Jewish Film Festival will take place in Warsaw, Poland from November 8-13. Screenings will be at the Kinoteka and Świt Theaters. This year’s Honorary David Camera is dedicated to Polish film and TV director and screenwriter Mrs. Agnieszka Holland.

Among the films competing, David, about the unlikely friendship between a Jewish and Muslim boy in Brooklyn, directed by Joel Fendelman.

“David” trailer from Joel Fendelman on Vimeo.

Into the Wind

Into the Wind is Steven Hatton’s first feature length documentary, capturing the life and wartime experiences of former Bomber Command veterans from the Second World War. As well as a document of unique historical value and significance, Into the Wind is a record of deeply personal stories, tales of friendships gained and lost, the perpetual possibility and proximity of death, the importance of love and family, the shared passion for flying and the moral implications of warfare.

The documentary features interviews with former aircrew originating from Poland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom, all of whom share the weight and responsibility of having helped change the course of history.

See the BBC Article
Into the Wind: The story of Bomber Command.