Unconventional Films | Hitchcock | Antonioni | Bergman | Fellini | Kieślowski | Senior Club

About the event

In the 2025/2026 season the Senior Club of the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute invites not only seniors to the Iluzjon cinema for a series of screenings called “Unconventional Films”. Unconventional — what does that mean? Certainly not banal, but also not hermetic. Maybe not “light, easy and pleasant”, but also not “heavy” to watch. These are films that for years have intrigued successive generations of cinephiles with mysterious plot intertwinings and surprising artistic solutions, while still allowing the whole to be understood. And most importantly: all the films in this series are acclaimed masterpieces directed by masters of cinema: Antonioni, Bergman, Fellini, Hitchcock, Kieślowski and Weir. Lectures will be given and discussions led by film scholar Andrzej Bukowiecki. Schedule of screenings (all shows at 11:00): 23 October | 11:00 — “Vertigo”, dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1958) Hitchcock’s masterpiece, which ranked first on the “Sight and Sound” list (2012). After tragic events detective John “Scottie” Ferguson leaves the police; he is hired by a former friend to follow his wife, and quickly falls into obsession. The film masterfully builds a oneiric atmosphere, blending waking life and dreams; Kim Novak in the female role. 20 November | 11:00 — “The Double Life of Véronique”, dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski (1991) An intimate, metaphysical tale about the duality of existence: Weronika and Véronique. Kieślowski poses questions about the meaning of being while also telling a story of love. Excellent performances, cinematography and music by Zbigniew Preisner; the film was an important event at the Cannes Festival in 1991 (Ecumenical Jury Prize, FIPRESCI and the Palme d’Or for Irène Jacob). 18 December | 11:00 — “Blow-Up”, dir. Michelangelo Antonioni (1966) A film made in England about a photographer who becomes an unwitting witness to a crime. Antonioni depicts modern life as a game of appearances — moral, emotional and social; a document of the spirit of the 1960s. The film was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Festival (1967). 15 January | 11:00 — “Picnic at Hanging Rock”, dir. Peter Weir (1975) One of the most sensual and hypnotic films in cinema. In 1900 a group of schoolgirls from a Victorian school go on an excursion to Hanging Rock; there something unexplained happens — time and space seem to blur, and nature affects the bodies and minds of the young women. A film full of unease and mystery. 19 February | 11:00 — Sets of animations by Piotr Dumała + meeting with the director Piotr Dumała is the author of numerous animated films, working in his own technique of painting and scratching plaster plates, which gives a unique sense of depth, chiaroscuro and texture. The first film in this technique was “Lycanthropy”. Dumała will be present at a meeting after the screening. 19 March | 11:00 — “Wild Strawberries”, dir. Ingmar Bergman (1957) A masterpiece known, among other things, for its suggestive dream sequences. The protagonist is a respected professor of bacteriology (a wonderful performance by Victor Sjöström), who travels to a jubilee; during the journey figures from his dreams and memories appear. 9 April | 11:00 — “Koyaanisqatsi”, dir. Godfrey Reggio (1982) A film described by critics as “a trip without drugs.” “Koyaanisqatsi” (from Hopi: “crazy life”) is a collection of extraordinary, tempo-changing images of nature and city life, without verbal commentary; complemented by the powerful music of Philip Glass. 14 May | 11:00 — “8½”, dir. Federico Fellini (1963) A film about a director experiencing a creative crisis; full of autobiographical and fictional threads, presented as a visual philosophical circus. A work of great depth of reference and confirmed artistic value. 18 June | 11:00 — Surprise film A surprise screening. You’re invited!