Documents
Polish School of the documentary has worldwide recognition, actually it has more to do with arts than with educational movies as official doctrine suggested. Played in cinemas before movies, they competed in esthetic field and oftenly won. Authors were searching pieces of reality that could be used in artistic statements, hence they were more willing to take more universal topics. Documents politically not correct were just put aside on shelves just to mention one of the best documentaries by Lozinski (”How to leave”), it was finally emitted after 12 years.
Documentaries from before ’89 has this specific aura. Some people may find them as a strange time trip to places, people and problems from different world, it’s hard to believe that its only one or two generations separate us. Fortunately documentaries rarely picture the situation as it was, we know all that know from books. And how would be perceived by let’s say Frenchman, who had never experienced party with host called wodzirej, or vodka talons.
And today? Polish documentaries still rock, topics has changed, production has changed, but it’s art is still there. Mostly they describe reality not only in Poland but also abroad. They show successful people, fenced residential but also residents of railway stations and alcohol addicts in small villages.
Recently PWA released DVD series with documentaries of Kieslowski, Karabasz, Lozinski and others - “Polish School of Documentary”.