News & Events

Comedy, according to Sigmund Freud, allows people to express forbidden thoughts. Under communism, this naturally transgressive genre faces an additional hurdle - communist jokes are only funny if everyone gets them.

By victimsofcommunism.org

The comedic filmmakers of communist Poland, such as Marek Piwowski and Juliusz Machulski, excelled at their craft. Their films allowed the people not only to laugh at the surreal reality of communist Poland but to understand and critique the shortcomings of the communist system.

Comedy vs. Communism: A Retrospective of Polish Cult Comedies from Communist Times celebrates film as a tool of resistance to totalitarian tyranny and political satire as a means of beginning the process of reestablishing political liberty. Please join us in watching these films and then meet with Dr. Anna Draniewicz, Research Fellow in VOC’s Polish Studies program for a Q&A during which she will answer the inevitable questions arising from the films and their portrayal of the surreal life in communist Poland.

Man – Woman Wanted by Stanisław Bareja (1973)

Virtual film screenings will be hosted daily from June 20th-27th. All films will be in Polish with English subtitles and Q&A sessions will be in English.

For more information and to register for each film screening and Q&A session you would like to participate in please visit victimsofcommunism.org.