Tadeusz Makarczyński

In the last days of World War 2, people of various ethnic background meet in a Polish military hospital in a small German town, whereas a Nazi SS division hides in the local forests and tries to move westwards.

A fairy tale film based on an ancient legend about the founding of Warsaw and the good fairy Sirene of the Mazovian forests, who became the patron saint of the city.

A reconstruction of the events of the Warsaw Uprising, based on photographs taken over a period of two months by photojournalist Sylwester Braun, known as "Kris."

This documentary about St. Mary's Altar takes the viewer back to the 15th century, when Wit Stwosz, a master of woodcarving, came to Poland from Nuremberg. At the request of the City Council, he created an altar that is unmatched not only in Kraków.

The documentary shows the work of journalists and the importance of the press in building socialism. It is an exemplary implementation of the socialist-realist convention imposed on Polish cinema in 1949, in which all elements of the film structure were subordinated to the persuasive function.

Lionel Rogosin's plea for humanity and against war and fascism. For two years, Rogosin traveled to twelve countries to collect footage of war atrocities from their archives. He interspersed these harrowing images with scenes of a London cocktail party's mundane chatter. Good Times, Wonderful Times was released in 1964 at the height of the Vietnam War, and became one of the great anti-war films of the era.

A record of the first days of the so-called ‘Polska Lubelska’. The camera focused on life in Lublin and other Polish pieces of land conquered in 1944 as a result of the July offensive of the Polish and Red Army. This documentary was made from the perspective of the thirtieth anniversary of People's Poland.

The protagonist of this documentary is Gdańsk and its history. The story begins on the shore of the Baltic Sea, in a Pomeranian town on the European Amber Road. It ends in the contemporary Gdańsk Shipyard.

A collective, moving self-portrait of Polish painters of the turn of the century, composed of paintings presented at the exhibition "Symbolism in Polish art" at the National Museum in Warsaw in 1985.

The documentary promotes the outdoor attractions and folklore of the village of Szlebark, located in the Podhale Valley.

A visit in the painting studio of Teofil Ociepka, a Silesian naive painter. The raw landscape of Silesia contrasts with the colorful, fantastic world of his imagination.

A group of children are entertained by a seemingly harmless beachside magician who eventually lures them into playing with real weapons.

A propaganda piece of reportage from the first Polish Nationwide Art Exhibition that was held in the National Museum in Warsaw in 1950. Makarczynski’s film is a typical example of a socialist realism documentary, realized in accordance with the instructions that had been presented to the filmmakers during the Wisla 1949 summit.

A walk around Warsaw's Praga district.

A treasure of Polish culture. A concert film that presents the performance of Mazowsze Song and Dance Ensemble recorded at its headquarters – the palace in Karolina (a part of the village of Otrębusy near Warsaw). The repertoire includes: Bandoska, Kukułeczka, Pod borem and dances such as: oberek, olender.

As a sixteen-year-old student, Frederic Chopin spent his vacation in the Lower Silesia health resort of Duszniki. Its theatre saw the first public concert of the young composer and pianist. On the centennial of the event in 1946, a two-day Piano Festival was organized in Duszniki, which spawned a cyclic cultural event — the local Chopin Festival. It is the oldest music festival in Poland. Tadeusz Makarczyński's film shows beautiful landscapes of the Duszniki environs and the still extant Zdrojowy Theater. The musical background is Chopin's pieces, performed by the festival's participants: Zofia Rabcewiczowa and Henryk Sztompka.

The ‘Żywe kamienie’ (meaning living stones) from the title are architectural monuments that convey the history of past generations. In this respect, Kraków is a special city - it was not only the royal capital of Poland, but also a city of Jews.

A documentary focused on the legendary Różycki bazaar in Praga. In archival photos and recordings, we see the predecessor of the Różycki bazaar, the pre-war Kercelak. It changes into the post-war Różycki almost imperceptibly. The melody of market talks is enhanced by the sound of an accordion, played by the Gypsy Orchestra of the Hućko brothers. A stunning wealth of goods: from carrier pigeons to laying hens and stuffed ornamental birds. On the wall, depending on your taste, oil paintings in golden frames or embroidered tapestries. Life problems? A horoscope is the answer. Are you sick? There is a healer here. Hunger? We’ve got the famous Praga tripe and hot dumplings with some lard in a jar.

In 1946, the 1st National Competition of Trade Union Member Clubs was held. Almost one thousand amateur teams took part in it, bringing together approximately 40,000 workers, women and men. The reportage was created during the performance at the Polish Theater in Warsaw.

The centennial of Frederic Chopin’s death was celebrated in 1949. The International Chopin Year was held under the auspice of UNESCO. Tadeusz Makarczyński’s film records renditions of Chopin’s mazurkas by entrants of the 4th Chopin International Piano Competition held in Warsaw in 1949. You can hear the performances of representatives from America and different countries in Europe: Halina Czerny-Stefańska and Bella Davidovich of the Soviet Union, the ex aequo winners of the 1st Prize; Carlos Rivero of Mexico, Yevgeniy Malinin of the Soviet Union, and Mireille Auxietre of France. Mazurkas are the essence of Chopin’s music and a symbol of Polishness; they are pieces which integrate young pianists from all over the world into one big “Chopin family”.