Kanal

ANDRZEJ WAJDA 100In commemoration of the centennial of Polish director Andrzej Wajda (1926-2016), Central and Eastern Europe’s most provocatively political post-war filmmaker, the DFT will present four of his most celebrated masterworks in new restorations. Screenings of Andrzej Wajda’s films in the USA in 2026 are part of the Wajda 100 Tour – North America Project, organized by DI Factory with the financial support of the Polish Film Institute.“Andrzej Wajda was one of the greatest filmmakers we’ve ever had. He left behind one of the most formidable bodies of work in the history of the art form. He was a true master.” –Martin ScorseseKANAL“Watch them closely, for these are the last hours of their lives,” announces a narrator, foretelling the tragedy that unfolds as a war-ravaged company of Home Army resistance fighters tries to escape the Nazi onslaught through the sewers of Warsaw. Determined to survive, the men and women slog through the hellish labyrinth, piercing the darkness with the strength of their individual spirits. Based on true events, the unrelentingly gripping Kanal was the first film ever made about the Warsaw Uprising, bringing director Andrzej Wajda – and post-war Polish cinema – to the attention of international audiences. Special Jury Prize, 1957 Cannes Film Festival. In Polish with English subtitles.“The first movie to dramatize the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi occupiers turns combat-film clichés upside down.” -Richard Brody, The New Yorker