The University of Washington will host An Evening with Krzysztof Siwczyk on Monday, February 24, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. The event will feature a reading and conversation with the award-winning Polish poet Krzysztof Siwczyk and his translator, Professor Piotr Florczyk. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Agnieszka Jeżyk. This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with Siwczyk’s poetry and explore the nuances of literary translation. Attendees will have the chance to hear the
False friends in language, much like in life, can lead to misunderstandings. These are words in two languages that look or sound similar but have different meanings. For instance, the Polish “konfident” means an informant or betrayer, while the English “confident” refers to someone who is self-assured. Being aware of such false friends helps avoid miscommunication, ensuring that we use words correctly in different contexts, whether in everyday conversation or professional settings, and makes cross-language exchanges smoother. Read the article and turn false friands to your conversational companions.
If you missed this movie at the Seattle Polish Film Festival a few years ago, this is your chance. In this Ukrainian Polish co-production, directed by Olesia Morhunets-Isaienko takes the ‘Carol of the Bells’ is a symbol of the spirit of brotherhood and unity all over the world. The peaceful existence of three families, Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish, sharing a large house, musical evenings and merriment in the Polish city of Stanisławów (now Stanislaviv in
Anyone who learns a foreign language will sooner or later come across expressions whose meaning does not derive literally from the individual words. Their meaning is metaphorical, established, and understood only within that particular language. These are idioms, fascinating word combinations that, for me, are the colorful embellishments of language, cultural codes, and at the same time, a record of how our ancestors viewed the world. Idioms literally translated into a foreign language can also
Please join famed ceramist Sylwia Tur this Friday from5 to 8pm for a soft opening of the Seattle Restored Artist Residency at 1121 First Avenue (one block south from Seattle Art Museum). In the artist’s own words: Along with 4 other artists, I am in the process of transforming the space into an art gallery / store / workshop / studio for the next 5 months. You will be able to see us working, changing
Legendary filmmaker Agnieszka Holland won the Golden Lion at the 2023 Venice Film Festival for this ground-level examination of the refugee crisis at the titular exclusion zone between Belarus and Poland, seen through the eyes of a Syrian family fleeing their war-torn home. “Green Border” depicts a family of Syrian refugees as they hope to cross the border from Belarus into Poland to escape the violence of their homeland and eventually connect with relatives living in
A decades-spanning portrait of a transgender Polish woman on a journey of self-discovery is at the heart of Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s “Woman Of,” the latest from the two-time Berlin Silver Bear winner (“Body,” “Mug”) and her longtime collaborator. “Woman Of” tells the story of Aniela Wesoły, who for almost half her life has lived as a man in a provincial Polish town. Struggling against the social mores of her conservative community, Wesoły must
Every man IS a pig, and every woman too, in the movie “The Peasants / Chłopi” which is an adaptation of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning novel under the same title about life in a 19th century Polish village. The film tells the story of Jagna, a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village – a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor,
“Erase the Nation”, directed by Tomasz Grzywaczewski, is a documentary showing the destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage by Russian Federation troops since the invasion began on February 24, 2022. This powerful film highlights the devastation inflicted on museums, monuments, archaeological sites and sacred places such as the cathedral in Odessa, all ruthlessly destroyed by Russian forces who are trying to rewrite history in the name of the chauvinist ideology of “Great Russia”. It also presents
“Ashes and Diamonds”, a novel published in 1948, continues to provoke heated debates and sharp divisions. A masterpiece of Polish prose or crude propaganda? A politically motivated attempt to discredit the anti-communist underground after 1945, or a bid to portray the tragic choices faced by the generation of the Home Army? And who was the author whose life follows a strangely convoluted not atypical course: a respected Catholic writer before the war, Czesław Miłosz’s colleague
Update: Natasza is now expected in Seattle at the beginning of October. Local Polish bikers and fans prepare a welcome for her. If you are interested in meeting Natasza etc. please contact Krzysztof at krystof_pk@q.com. World traveler Natasza Caban has started her motorcycle tour of the America’s. After gaining fame for sailing solo around the world, Natasza’s goal for the first leg of this new journey 12 yrs in the making is to ride across
Support POLISH FESTIVAL SEATTLE by buying a T-shirt or a hoodie OR by donating money! Get yours today! Polish Festival Seattle is a joyful celebration of Polish culture, traditions, and contemporary achievements. Part of the year-round Seattle Center Festál Cultural Festivals, Polish Festival Seattle is produced by the Seattle Polish Foundation in partnership with Seattle Center, and with support of the Polish Home Association. The 12th Annual Polish Festival Seattle is July 8, 2023, at
Stanislaw Lem’s famous novel “Solaris” has been adapted for the stage. One of Seattle Times’ 6 Most Anticipated Theatre Productions, the new play by David Grieg is directed by Gus Menary (“The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” 2022, “Beowulf” 2022, “The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes” 2021). “Solaris” is a haunting story of love and loneliness on the edge of space that asks the big question: What happens when humans encounter, for the first time, a truly alien intelligence? For
The 2023 New York Polish Film Festival has extended till July 15 the streaming of viewing selected movies in the contiguous United States. Online watching is $9. The streaming program includes the following movies: Niebezpieczni dżentelmeni / Dangerous Men (2022, 110′), Dir. by Maciej Kawalski, crime comedy Braty / Brothers (2022, 122′), Dir. by Marcin Filipowicz, poetic tale about coming-of-age Chleb i sól / Bread And Salt (2022, 100′), Dir. Damian Kocur Filip (2022, 125′),
The UW Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies presents a symposium “Energy Security in Europe: Current and Future Challenges“. The symposium has two panels; the first one deals with challenges brought by the war in Ukraine and includes a representative of Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Aleksander Olech. As the European Union as well as member states create swiftly changing policies affecting clean energy initiatives, their energy decisions show significant
Northwest Film Forum presents Agnieszka Smoczynska’s acclaimed film “Fugue / Fuga”. Her earlier film “The Lure / Córki dancingu” made a huge splash at the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival. “Fugue” is a powerful 2018 drama about a woman who lost her identity and the memories of her prior life. It was directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska (“The Silent Twins”, 2022) with the screenplay written by the fantastic main actress Gabriela Muskała (“Courage /Wymyk” ,2011; “These