More guests have arrived in Warsaw and will meet with you after the film screenings - we will discuss contemporary Belfast, the Smolensk monthlies, propaganda hidden in films, and the possibilities and pitfalls of the virtual world. 

Robert Kowalski spent eight years documenting the Smolensk monthly commemorations unexpectedly become a forum for face-to-face meetings between the state authorities and citizens. Wreath-laying and street prayers of those in power were protected by snipers, anti-terrorist squads, SOP and mounted police. On the one hand, we have real human tragedy, on the other - the parallel reality of political marketing. The premiere of the film "A Chronicle of Memorial Rites" is today at 18:00 at Kinoteka. After the film, there will be a Q&A session with the director.

Also at Kinoteka at 6:15 pm, there is a screening of the film "Blocks" and a meeting with its director Alessandra Celesia. It is a story about contemporary Belfast and its citizens. Although the conflict in Northern Ireland officially ended in 1998, its long shadow still haunts Belfast residents today. Especially those living in New Lodge - a crumbling estate of giant blocks of flats that never lived out their glory years. The characters in Alessandra Celesia's film are still living the days when loyalty was more important than life. Not much has changed here since those years. Militiamen have been replaced by dealers, young people are dying of overdoses instead of bullets.

The second screening of the acclaimed documentary "Silent Trees" by Agnieszka Zwiefka - and afterwards we invite you to the debate (with Polish English Translation) "Where are the refugees". International law obliges all countries to protect refugees systemically. What is Poland's response to these obligations? Can refugees become part of Polish society? What happens to them when they reach our country?

In KINOMUZEUM, there is a premiere screening of the film "Real" (8:30 pm) This is a breathtaking journey through the successive iterations of digital reality that change like a kaleidoscope. For some, it will be an oasis of freedom, where they can realize their fantasies free from intolerance, social pressures and expectations. For others - a terrifying hell of addiction. For still others - a global stage on which to showcase their skills to the world - and reap all sorts of profits. Director Adele Tulli seamlessly blends plots, techniques and conventions, revealing an incredibly wide range of digital innovations that are changing the way we see the world and presenting new challenges. A meeting with the director will follow the film.

Another Thursday premiere is "Zinema. Cinema at War". Kornij Hrytsuk has assembled his masterpiece documentary from excerpts of Russian feature films from the last quarter century. These include productions by established directors and coarse sitcoms. As the young Ukrainian filmmaker convincingly demonstrates - Russian cinema has served Kremlin propaganda since the beginning of the century. The apotheosis of successive imperial wars (Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine) and the glorification of heroic Russian soldiers are combined with the dehumanization of the enemy: cowardly, yet cunning and ruthless.

See you in the cinema!