Movies are like people. Some are humorous, dramatic, and thrilling while others are plain and dull. Through the eyes of their characters, movies take us on a vivid journey as we live their stories and experience their emotions. A good movie can sometimes change us and move us to become a better person, serving as an escape from reality as we momentarily lose ourselves in the fairytale-edged world of others.

Andrzej Wajda, 82-year-old Polish film director and recipient of an honorary Oscar award (2000), serves the film industry in this magical way by recreating the past and merging it with the present. His cinematographic works concentrate on the history, culture, and passion of the Polish people and are regarded as truly exceptional and eye-opening by audiences around the world. In celebration of his talent and works, over the next few weeks you can step into his world through the Truth or Dare: The Films of Andrzej Wajda Festival currently being held at New York’s Lincoln Center.

The festival is showcasing 35 of Wajda’s films, among which are the highly acclaimed Pan Tadeusz, The Promised Land, and the recent Oscar nominated Katyn.

Katyn, released in 2007, tells the true historical and emotional story of the 1940 massacre of approximately 15,000 Polish army soldiers and officers, policemen, and intelligence by the Red Soviet Army. This movie reveals the deception and lies of the Soviets, who had attributed the crimes to the Germans. Evidence of these horrific event had in fact been hidden until recently.

Wajda captures the tragedy in a heartbreaking and staggering manner. The viewers are seized by the heart as, scene after scene, lies are unveiled and the truth is revealed. The movie itself is personal to Wajda, as his father was one of the victims of the Katyn Forest massacre, and uses this inspiring film to illustrate the true side of Polish history.

Wajda has made around 50 movies, amongst which are several plays that he directed specifically for the Polish Television Theatre in New York. This institution, which came into existence in 1953, has produced and broadcast approximately 4,000 premieres of theatre productions. Wajda’s portrayal of Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky and June Night can be viewed at the current festival as part of the films being shown.

Before becoming a director, Wajda had in fact been an aspiring artist studying in Krakow’s Fine Arts Academy for three years, until he realized that his true calling was film. Therefore, he left his path as an artist and embarked on a journey to become a movie director by attending the well known National Film School in Lodz.

Movie after movie, Wajda became a significant figure not only in the Polish film industry but also in the international one. His works are rare treasures that are impossible to recreate, masterpieces that immerse you in the world of reality and fiction whilst instilling a realm of indescribable emotions.

“The good Lord provided the director with two eyes – one to look into the camera, the other to observe intently everything that is going on around him,” Wajda once said about himself. And he was right. Wajda is not only a film director, but an observer of the truth amidst all the lies–an observer of the simplicity of everyday life.

Top image courtesy of Img.interia.pl