04/18/2026
Krzysztof Kieslowski retrospective in LA!
Polish Film Festival Los Angeles is happy to recommend the series of screenings of Kieslowski films throughout May, June and July.
This beautiful event is organized by American Cinematheque together with Polish Cultural Institute New York. Here is the schedule:
TICKETS > https://www.americancinematheque.com
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SUN MAY 3, 2026
3:00 PM
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE
$12.00 (member); $17.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403
In French and Polish with English subtitles.
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films, a ravishing, mysterious rumination on identity, love, and human intuition. Irène Jacob is incandescent as both Weronika, a Polish choir soprano, and her double, Véronique, a French music teacher. Though unknown to each other, the two women share an enigmatic, emotional bond, which Kieślowski details in gorgeous reflections, colors, and movements. Aided by Slawomir Idziak’s shimmering cinematography and Zbigniew Preisner’s haunting, operatic score, Kieślowski creates one of cinema’s most purely metaphysical works. THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE is an unforgettable symphony of feeling.
DISTRIBUTOR: Janus Films
COUNTRY: France/Poland/Norway
WED MAY 13, 2026
7:30 PM
A SHORT FILM ABOUT LOVE / A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING
$12.00 (member); $17.00 (general admission)
Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403
A SHORT FILM ABOUT LOVE, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 87 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
An expanded version of episode VI in Kieślowski’s legendary DEKALOG, this film examines love, longing and s*x through the story of a young postal worker who spies on a promiscuous woman in an adjacent housing project.
A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 85 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
A shocking, powerful film expanded from episode V of Kieślowski’s legendary DEKALOG, A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING considers societal violence in its many forms through the story of an idealistic young lawyer and the brutal murderer he is called to defend.
SUN MAY 17, 2026
Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors: BLUE / WHITE / RED
$12.00 (member); $17.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
5:00pm | THREE COLORS: BLUE
6:43pm | THREE COLORS: WHITE
8:14pm | Q&A with actor Julie Delpy
8:44pm | THREE COLORS: RED
Start times are approximate. There will be brief (approximately 5-10 minute) intermissions between films. Ticket includes entry to all films in the marathon.
ABOUT THE FILMS:
THREE COLORS: BLUE, 1993, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 93 Mins, Janus Films, France
In French with English subtitles.
In the devastating first film of the Three Colors trilogy, Juliette Binoche gives a tour de force performance as Julie, a woman reeling from the tragic death of her husband and young daughter. But BLUE is more than just a blistering study of grief; it’s also a tale of liberation, as Julie attempts to free herself from the past while confronting truths about the life of her late husband, a composer. Shot in sapphire tones by Sławomir Idziak, and set to an extraordinary operatic score by Zbigniew Preisner, BLUE is an overwhelming sensory experience.
THREE COLORS: WHITE, 1994, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 91 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In French and Polish with English subtitles.
The most playful and also the grittiest of Kieślowski’s Three Colors films follows the adventures of Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a Polish immigrant living in France. The hapless hairdresser opts to leave Paris for his native Warsaw when his wife (Julie Delpy) sues him for divorce (her reason: their marriage was never consummated) and then frames him for arson after setting her own salon ablaze. White, which goes on to chronicle Karol Karol’s elaborate revenge plot, manages to be both a ticklish dark comedy about the economic inequalities of Eastern and Western Europe and a sublime reverie about twisted love.
THREE COLORS: RED, 1994, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 99 Mins, Janus Films, Switzerland
In French with English subtitles.
Krzysztof Kieślowski closes his Three Colors trilogy in grand fashion, with an incandescent meditation on fate and chance, starring Irène Jacob as a sweet-souled yet somber runway model in Geneva whose life dramatically intersects with that of a bitter retired judge, played by Jean‑Louis Trintignant. Meanwhile, just down the street, a seemingly unrelated story of jealousy and betrayal unfolds. RED is an intimate look at forged connections and a splendid final statement from a remarkable filmmaker at the height of his powers.
WED MAY 20, 2026
7:00 PM
BLIND CHANCE
$10.00 (member) ; $15.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
ABOUT THE FILM:
In Polish with English subtitles.
Before he stunned the cinematic world with the epic DEKALOG series and the Three Colors trilogy, the great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski made his first work of metaphysical genius, BLIND CHANCE, a compelling drama about the difficulty of reconciling political ideals with personal happiness. This unforgettable film follows Witek (the magnetic Bogusław Linda), a medical student with an uncertain future in Communist Poland; Kieślowski dramatizes Witek’s journey as a series of different possibilities, suggesting that chance rules our lives as much as choice does. First suppressed and then censored by the Polish government, BLIND CHANCE is here presented in its complete original form.
FRI MAY 29, 2026
4:00 PM
Krzysztof Kieślowski Documentary Shorts Program
$10.00 (member); $15.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
ABOUT THE FILMS:
“Talking Heads,” 1980, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 16 Mins, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Krzysztof Kieślowski made more than twenty documentaries, including the following short. In “Talking Heads,” Kieślowski poses the questions “What year were you born?” “Who are you?” and “What do you most wish for?” to forty different people, ranging from an infant to a one-hundred-year-old woman.
“Refrain,” 1972, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 10 Mins, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
The ten-minute-long “Refrain” deals with a funeral home and targets bureaucracy, corruption and dispassionate attitudes toward sorrowful fellow citizens.
“I Was a Soldier,” 1971, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 16 Mins, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
A group of veterans recount a horrifying experience of being trapped in a minefield, resulting in each losing their sight.
“From a Night Porter’s Point of View,” 1977, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 17 Mins, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Portrait of a factory porter, a fanatic of strict discipline, who extends his power even into his personal life as he tries to control everybody and everything in the belief that ‘rules are more important than people.’
“Railway Station,” 1980, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 13 Mins, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Krzysztof Kieślowski began his career making documentaries. Presented here is “Railway Station,” one of his nonfiction shorts.
“Seven Women of Different Ages,” 1980, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 16 Mins, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Krzysztof Kieślowski made more than twenty documentaries, including this wryly observed short, which profiles seven ballet dancers, one for each day of the week. From a fledgling student to a star ballerina in her prime to an older dancer now cast out of the spotlight, each miniature portrait offers a glimpse of the grueling work and behind-the-scenes struggles that make up a dancer’s journey through life.
SUN JUN 14, 2026
7:00 PM
DEKALOG: ONE & TWO
$10.00 (member) ; $15.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
ABOUT THE FILMS:
DEKALOG: ONE, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 56 Mins, Janus Films, Poland. In Polish with English subtitles.
Krzysztof, a semantics professor and computer hobbyist, is raising his young son, Paweł, to look to science for answers, while Irena, Paweł’s aunt, lives a life rooted in faith. Over the course of one day, both adults are forced to question their belief systems.
DEKALOG: TWO, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 59 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Dorota is in love with two men: her gravely ill husband, Andrzej, and a fellow musician who is the father of her unborn child. Andrzej’s doctor, himself no stranger to loss, is Dorota’s downstairs neighbor; she implores him to swear to a prognosis for her husband, and in doing so puts a very serious decision into his hands.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
DEKALOG, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, Janus Films, Poland
This masterwork by Krzysztof Kieślowski is one of the twentieth century’s greatest achievements in visual storytelling. Originally made for Polish television, DEKALOG focuses on the residents of a housing complex in late-Communist Poland, whose lives become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal and universally human. Its ten hour-long films, drawing from the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, grapple deftly with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time. Shot by nine different cinematographers, with stirring music by Zbigniew Preisner and compelling performances from established and unknown actors alike, DEKALOG arrestingly explores the unknowable forces that shape our lives.
SUN JUN 21, 2026
7:00 PM
DEKALOG: THREE & FOUR
$10.00 (member) ; $15.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3,1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
ABOUT THE FILMS:
DEKALOG: THREE, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 58 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
It’s Christmas Eve, and Ewa has plotted to pass the hours until morning with her former lover Janusz, a family man, by making him believe her husband has gone missing. During this night of recklessness and lies, the pair grapple with choices made when their affair was discovered three years ago, and with the value of their present lives.
DEKALOG: FOUR, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 57 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
A father and daughter, Michał and Anka, have a unique intimacy, which the college-aged Anka is beginning to feel conflicted about. When she finds an unopened letter from her deceased mother, it seems to justify her attraction to Michał, who may not in fact be her father.
SUN JUN 28, 2026
10:00 PM
DEKALOG: FIVE & SIX
$10.00 (member) ; $15.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
ABOUT THE FILMS:
DEKALOG: FIVE, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 60 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Jacek, an angry drifter, murders a taxi driver, brutally and without motive. His case is assigned to Piotr, an idealistic young lawyer who is morally opposed to the death penalty, and their interactions take on an emotional honesty that throws into stark relief for Piotr the injustice of killing of any kind.
DEKALOG: SIX, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 61 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
A teenage postal worker, Tomek, routinely spies on his older neighbor Magda, a s*xually liberated artist who lives in the apartment across the courtyard from his. As their private worlds merge, fascination turns to obsession, and the line between love and curiosity becomes violently blurred.
SUN JUL 5, 2026
7:00 PM
DEKALOG: SEVEN & EIGHT
$10.00 (member) ; $15.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
ABOUT THE FILMS:
DEKALOG: SEVEN, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 57 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
As a high school student, Majka bore a child, Ania, whom Majka’s mother, Ewa, has been raising as her own. Now that Majka is ready for motherhood, Ewa refuses to let go, leading Majka to kidnap her own daughter, with unexpected emotional consequences.
DEKALOG: EIGHT, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 56 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Zofia, a professor of ethics, is visited by Elżbieta, an American researching the fate of Jews who survived World War II. A daytime classroom conversation turns into a night of confrontation, and Zofia is forced to answer for a decision she made decades ago that directly affected the course of Elżbieta’s life.
SUN JUL 12, 2026
7:00 PM
DEKALOG: NINE & TEN
$10.00 (member) ; $15.00 (general admission)
Ticket prices include a $2.00 online booking fee.
Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
ABOUT THE FILMS:
DEKALOG: NINE, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 60 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Roman and Hanka have a loving marriage, but his impotence has led to her having an affair. The unbearable situation drives Roman to extreme measures both physically and mentally, testing their love and his own will to live.
DEKALOG: TEN, 1988, Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 59 Mins, Janus Films, Poland
In Polish with English subtitles.
Jerzy and Artur’s father dies, leaving behind a valuable stamp collection, which, they discover, is coveted by dealers of varying degrees of shadiness. The more involved the brothers get in their father’s world, the more dire and comical their situation becomes.
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Krzysztof Kieslowski
Quick Facts
Born: June 27, 1941, Warsaw, Poland
Died: March 13, 1996, Warsaw (aged 54)
Kieślowski periodically announced his retirement from filmmaking. However, at the time of his death, he and Piesiewicz were at work on a new trilogy of films based on the sections of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. Piesiewicz eventually completed screenplays for all three installments, which were filmed in the first decade of the 21st century. Kieślowski received credit for cowriting Heaven (2002), directed by German filmmaker Tom Tykwer; L’enfer (2005; Hell), directed by Danis Tanovic; and Nadzieja (2007; “Purgatory”), directed by Stanislaw Mucha.
Kieślowski studied theatre technology in Warsaw, and in 1968 he graduated from the State Theatrical and Film College in Łódź, Poland. He began his film career making documentaries, including one he had made for Polish television before graduating, Zdjęcie (1968; The Photograph). His first significant film was Murarz (1973; The Bricklayer), the story of a political activist who becomes disenchanted with politics and returns to his former profession of bricklaying. Kieślowski made several notable documentaries during the 1970s, mostly for television, including Szpital (1976; Hospital), in which he employed a hidden camera to reveal problems within the Polish health care system. The documentary short Z punktu widzenia nocnego portiera (1979; From a Night Porter’s Point of View) centres on a watchman with totalitarian views of the world.
Blizna (1976; The Scar) was Kieślowski’s first theatrical release; it focused on management-labour relations within Polish industry. He came to worldwide attention with Amator (1979; Camera Buff), an autobiographical work about an aspiring documentary director who learns the consequences of artistic expression. With Przypadek (1987; Blind Chance), he experimented with narrative. The film traces three fateful directions a medical student’s life may take as he rushes to board a train.
Filming of Bleu
Filming of Bleu Krzysztof Kieślowski on the set of Bleu (1993; Blue).
Kieślowski’s Bez końca (1985; No End), the story of a dead lawyer who watches over his family as they continue with their lives, marked the beginning of a longtime writing collaboration with Krzysztof Piesiewicz. Kieślowski’s mammoth Dekalog (1988–89; Decalogue), cowritten with Piesiewicz, is a series inspired by the Ten Commandments and made for Polish television. Each of the 10 hour-long episodes explores at least one commandment; as the commandments are not explicitly named, the audience is invited to identify the moral or ethical conflicts in the plot. The series was shown in its entirety as the centrepiece of the 1989 Venice Film Festival and is considered a modern masterpiece of cinema. Two of the episodes were expanded into feature-length films: Krótki film o zabijaniu (A Short Film About Killing) and Krótki film o miłości (A Short Film About Love), both of which were released in 1988. With La Double Vie de Véronique (1991; The Double Life of Veronique) came commercial as well as critical success. This moody, atmospheric film is the study of two doppelgängers—one French, one Polish—who, in addition to sharing the same name, share the same birthday, heart condition, and a vague sense of the existence of the other. Cowritten with Piesiewicz, the film stars Irene Jacob in the dual roles.
Kieślowski’s and Piesiewicz’s next efforts, the Three Colours trilogy, represented the colours of the French flag: Bleu (1993; Blue), Blanc (1994; White), and Rouge (1994; Red); respectively, they explored the themes of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The films were released several months apart and, although each can stand on its own, they were designed to be seen as a single entity. One theme, the frailty of human relations, emerged from the lonely awakening in Blue and permeated the grim humour of White before providing the symbolic epiphany in Red. Kieślowski was nominated for an Academy Award for best director for Red.
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Information compiled by Marek Dzida.
www.PFFLA.org
