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

Sunday, March 16, 2025

12:00 pm

THREE COLORS: BLUE

TROIS COULEURS: BLEU

1993, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland/France/Switzerland, 98 mins

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

Inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution, Warsaw-born master Krzysztof Kieslowski designed his critically acclaimed THREE COLORS trilogy as an exploration of liberty, equality, and fraternity. In BLUE, Julie (a riveting Juliette Binoche) is devastated after her husband and daughter are killed in a car accident. Overwhelmed with grief, she attempts to sever all ties with her life and the people who knew her before the accident, but finds that, either by her own hand or through coincidence, her past continues to connect with her present. A meditative study of personal freedom, BLUE is a hypnotic and exceptional cinematic experience.

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2:15 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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4:30 pm

THREE COLORS: RED

TROIS COULEURS: ROUGE

1994, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland/France/Switzerland, 99 mins

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

In RED, a luminous exploration of human connection, Irène Jacob stars as Valentine, a melancholy model whose life unexpectedly intersects with that of Joseph, a retired judge who habitually spies on his neighbors. The film received three Academy Award nominations, including a Best Director nod for Kieslowski, and critics declared he had saved the best for last. Kieslowski announced that this final film in the THREE COLORS trilogy would also mark his retirement, Devastatingly, the director would die suddenly two years after its release. A story of empathy and the possibility of redemption, RED is a brilliant final gift from one of Poland’s most revered filmmakers.

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Date: March 7 - 20, 2025