28th Chicago European Union Film Festival Spotlight: Poland, it is our pleasure, with the generous support of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, to present two weeks of the best new and classic films from Poland and Polish filmmakers. Join us March 7–20, as we present 20 films, including 13 new titles-and 12 Chicago premieres-alongside classics from filmmakers including Krzysztof Kieslowski, Agnieszka Holland, and Andrzej Wajda. Meet filmmakers visiting us from Poland, and enjoy taste from the country through special events and at our concession stand.

Schedule

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

6:00 pm

THREE COLORS: WHITE

TROIS COULEURS: BLANC

1994, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland/France/Switzerland, 92 mins

In English and Polish and French with English subtitles | Format: 4K Digital Restoration

Laced with a biting irony (Roger Ebert called the film Kieslowski’s “anti-comedy"), WHITE is a darkly playful tale of equality and justice. Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a hapless hairdresser living in France, returns to his native Poland penniless and humiliated after he loses everything when his wife Dominique (Julie Delpy) divorces him. Once home, he begins plotting a complex and absurd plan to regain his dignity. An interesting film to consider in 2025, when discourse about masculinity abounds (The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw deemed it “an opera of male agony”), WHITE is a sardonic study of power, control, and destiny.

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8:00 pm

WOMAN OF...

KOBIETA Z…

2024, Michal Englert, Malgorzata Szumowska, Poland/Sweden, 132 mins

In Polish with English subtitles | Format: Digital

Set against the landscape of the Polish transformation from communism to capitalism, WOMAN OF… (a reference to Andrzej Wajda’s MAN OF IRON and MAN OF MARBLE) spans 45 years of the life of Aniela Wesoly-portrayed by Mateusz Wieclawek and Malgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik-following her journey of liberation as a trans woman. Co-starring Joanna Kulig (CIVIL WAR), A WOMAN OF…, which was supported by a trans advisory team, pulls no punches in its criticism of Poland’s past and present mistreatment of the queer community. Michal Englert and Malgorzata Szumowska craft a tender, sensitive portrait, which was nominated for the Gold Lion and the Queer Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

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Date: March 7 - 20, 2025