Rochester Polish Film Festival

The annual, two-part festival presents classic Polish cinema as well as contemporary works produced by the newest generation of the country's filmmakers. It showcases internationally recognized films that might not otherwise be seen in the area and attracts renowned Polish actors, directors, screenwriters, and critics to Rochester.

The festival is sponsored by the Skalny Center, the Polish Film Institute, the Polish Filmmakers Association, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York and the Polish Heritage Society of Rochester.

Schedule of Events:

7:00 pm: Simona Kossak - 100 minutes

Simona Kossak (1943-2007), a biologist, ecologist, and professor of forest sciences, was the great-granddaughter of Juliusz Kossak, the granddaughter of Wojciech Kossak, and the daughter of Jerzy Kossak-three painters who loved both Polish landscapes and history. Lacking the talent that has been defining her family for generations, she was growing up knowing no warmth from her authoritarian mother. After graduating from the university, she left everything behind-her home, tradition and social norms-and accepted the position of a scientist in Bia?owiez?a, starting to live her life on her own terms. She settled in the middle of the forest, in a house with no electricity or running water, surrounded by wild nature. There, she met a photographer, Lech Wilczek, who shared her passions: the love of nature and the need for freedom. However, her view on the work of a naturalist and the position a young woman in a world dominated by men got painfully shattered. Not only had she to defend her ideals but also the world of flora and fauna.