Skalny Center for Polish and Central European StudiesUniversity of Rochester

Channel 7 interview with Michał Oleszczyk and Agata Trzebuchowska is located here.


Michał Oleszczyk, Artistic Director of the Gdynia Film Festival


A film critic and a translator, Dr. Oleszczyk holds a Ph.D. in Film Studies from Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. His reviews have been published in magazines such as "Kino," "Tygodnik Powszechny," "Przekrój," "Dwutygodnik," "Fandor" and "RogerEbert.com". Dr. Oleszczyk is also a programmer and media spokesman of the Off Plus Camera Festival and of Polish Filmmakers NYC, an organization promoting Polish cinema in New York City. He has authored several books and blogs. In 2012, he won the PISF award in the “Film Criticism” category. The Gdynia Film Festival is the biggest film event and one of the oldest film festivals in Poland. It has existed for many years thanks to the high artistic levels of the films, which attracts a large audience and inspires the interest of critics.

In person at the Grand Opening and after the screening of Life feels Good.



Agata Trzebuchowska


Agata Trzebuchowska is a graduate of Interdisciplinary Individual Humanities and Social Studies at the University of Warsaw. Ms. Trzebuchowska made her debut on the big screen in Ida, the Polish submission for the 2015 Oscars, where she played the title role. She is not a professional actress and had never thought about being an actress before Pawlikowski, Ida’s director, chose her from among more than 300 young actresses he auditioned. In fact, she is more interested in directing movies than acting in them, and she has written a screenplay and directed a short film for the “48 Hour Film Project” competition. Recently she has been working on a screenplay for a feminist theatrical group, which she also plans to direct. Next year she will be embarking on workshops with female prisoners in a Warsaw jail. Agata Trzebuchowska is fascinated with Mexico, and in her spare time she enjoys learning Spanish, watching good movies and cooking.

In person at the Grand Opening and after the screening of „Ida”



Anna Kazejak


Anna Kazejak, a film director and screenwriter, graduated from the Directing Department at the Polish National Film School in Łódź. Her feature film debut, Ode to Joy, a triptych made with two other directors, became a seminal portrait of a generation growing up in a post-communist country. Acclaimed as one of the best debuts in years, the film received numerous awards. Her second feature, Flying Pigs, was well received by both critics and audiences. Kazejak has made documentary films and worked in television for mats. Her most prominent directing work in television was for numerous episodes of HBO Poland’s version of In Treatment. Her newest film, The Word (Obietnica, 2014), was shown at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival and the Gdynia Film Festival. Anna Kazejak has received many screenplay prizes and is a member of the European Film Academy.

In person after the screening of The Word.