I am looking at you - the first review of Maria’s films “Majka” Dłużewska, 26.09 p.m.
date:09 September 2025 Editor: Anna
On September 26, 2025, a unique cultural event will be held at the All Saints' Church at Grzybowski Square in Warsaw, the first review of documentary films by Maria “Majka” Dłużewski, organized on Her 74th birthday.
The event was organized by a group of friends of the artist who wanted her words about the movie as a joint work to become a reality besides after her death. It is crucial that the work of the late documentalist remains alive and continues to scope the hearts of subsequent generations of viewers.
Maria Dłużewska, a theatre actress, oppositionist from the times of the Polish People's Republic and a delicate chronicler of the most crucial moments of Polish history, deserves to see, analyse and discuss her films.
“Majka” has always stressed that documentary cinema “does not be without people” and that all movie is simply a consequence of teamwork. That is why on September 26, 2025, on the day of her 74th birthday, in the Warsaw Church of All Saints at Grzybowski Square, the first documentary screening of this prominent Polish manager will be held.
Review programme:
The review consists of 2 movie parts separated by a discussion panel. The spectators will see the papers “We have fought, fought hard” about strikes and manifestations on the Coast in December 1970 and their brutal suppression and “Zorza II nad Gdańsk”, presenting the scenes of the SBecka provocation, directed against John Paul II during his pilgrimage to Poland in 1987. Between the screenings there will be a panel, during which guests will be able to share memories of Maria Dłużewski and talk about the importance of her work for the Polish documentary cinema.
About Maria “Majce” Dłużewska
Maria Dłużewska (1951-2024) went an extraordinary way – from a theatre actress, to an opposition activist in the times of the Polish People's Republic, to an acclaimed manager of documentary films. A postgraduate of Warsaw PWST, a activist of “Solidarity” and “Solidarity of the Fighting”, in the 1990s she discovered a documentary.
She is the author, as director, screenwriter and producer, of more than 40 documentary films. These are films about people facing the challenges of history, courageous ones, attached to our Polish values. Their background is crucial historical events.
"I am obsessed with showing people that we frequently don't remember about – and whose life is beautiful, fulfilled and they know what they live for or know how to live. nevertheless hard it would be to make life meaningful. And my heroes' lives always make sense to us. At least we can always support them and take that strength from them. This is simply a large thing – Maria Dłużewska said erstwhile receiving 1 of the awards for her work.”
Films devoted to the Smolensk disaster: “The Fog”, “The Contempt” (shared with Joanna Lichocka), “The Daughter”, “The Testament” and “Dama” have a peculiar place in her achievements.
For her life attitude and dedication to Poland, she was honored with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2008) and the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity (2017).
She has been awarded multiple awards at the Festival of Independent Independant Immunity Cursed in Gdynia: twice the Golden Resistor for the movie "Resistance Groups" (2010) and "A Short Afternoon in Mazury" (2018), twice the prize of Janusz Krupski for the movie "Degrengolad at Home Theatre" (2012) and "We Lived Steel, Good Throwed" (2022) and the Platinum Resistor in 2016 for "insistence, uncompromising and independence". She received twice the “Main Prize of Freedom of Word” awarded by the Association of Polish Journalists. She was awarded the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage award in the movie category (2020) and the Public Media Award in the image category (2022).
Invitation
The organizers invitation everyone who is close to Maria Dłużewski's work, who values Polish documentary cinema and who cares about preserving the memory of people and events that shaped our latest history.
This first review is to be the beginning of a series commemorating the work of the documentaryist, who was not only an artist but besides a delicate chronicler of the most crucial moments of Polish history. due to the fact that as she said herself, “documentary cinema exists for people and thanks to people.”
