On the last Thursday of April, the documentary film, GRADPA'S ORCHARD by Karol Starnawski was shown at the Film School Cinema. Right after the screening, there was a meeting with the director. The film, which is a Ukrainian-Polish co-production, portrays Karolina, whose grandfather survived the Volhynia massacre. The heroine sets off to distant places, guided by a trail of uncomfortable memories.

Although the subject matter of the film by our School graduate Karol Starnawski caused discomfort, the meeting hosted by Diana Dąbrowska that was held directly after the film was screened stimulated much-needed discussion. The audience was overwhelmed by the film and eager to share their views. The discussion revolved around historical topics and the difficulties of production. "I think that in the face of war, we need to talk about it," said the director, adding that the film had already been shown at festivals to international audiences. The filming of GRANDPA'S ORCHARD was fraught with many obstacles - the pandemic, the need to carry out documentation in the remote rural territory, and finally the outbreak of a full-scale conflict.

At the end of the meeting, a statement was made by the co-author of the film, Alexander Pozdnyakov, a cinematography graduate of our School, who said to the camera that "If we don't sort out this [history], we will have no future."

photos: Mikołaj Zacharow