The Senate of the Republic of Poland has declared 2025 the Year of Wojciech Jerzy Has on the centenary of his birth. The achievements of the Polish director, screenwriter and film producer are impressive, and his works are known to cinema lovers all over the world. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute invites you to participate in initiatives commemorating this outstanding artist!

Wojciech Jerzy Has - director, painter of cult cinema

Wojciech Jerzy Has was born on 1 April 1925 in Kraków, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and completed the first post-war film courses. For many years he was a lecturer and rector of the Leon Schiller National Film, Television, and Theatre School in Łódź. He made his directorial debut in 1957 with the film “The Noose” starring Gustaw Holoubek, based on a story by Marek Hłasko. He directed 14 full-length films that received numerous awards at international festivals, including the Silver Palm in Cannes in 1973 for “The Hourglass Sanatorium” and the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI) in Locarno in 1959 for “Farewells”. In 1999, he was awarded the Polish Academy Life Achievement Award, and in 2000, at the 8th International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography “Camerimage” he received an award for special visual sensitivity.

Wojciech Jerzy Has, Rożnów, 1965, photo: Wojciech Plewiński /Forum

His famous “The Saragossa Manuscript” (1964), based on the 18th-century novel by Count Jan Potocki with its innovative embedded narrative style, made a great impression on the master of film surrealism, Luis Bunuel, and became an inspiration for his later works. “The Saragossa Manuscript” is also on the list of favourite world film works of Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, who called Wojciech J. Has the painter of cult cinema. 

The Year of Wojciech Jerzy Has 2025 - events around the world

On the occasion of the Year of Wojciech Jerzy Has, marking the centenary of his birth, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute co-organises and supports retrospectives of his films worldwide, including in Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy, as well as in distant regions such as Latin America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

Programme of events for the Year of Wojciech Jerzy Has 2025:

March

• British Film Institute, London, Great Britain - A complete retrospective (14 films) during “Kinoteka” Polish Film Festival between 6 March and 25 April 2025, and poster exhibition as part of the UK/Poland Season 2025;
• Bergamo Film Meetings, Bergamo, Italy - “Tribute to Wojciech Has” between 8 and 16 March 2025 including a retrospective of selected films, a lecture, and a poster exhibition;
• Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford, Great Britain - Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript” on 9 March 2025 as part of the “Kinoteka on tour” programme within the UK/Poland Season 2025;
• Hull Independent Cinema, Hull, Great Britain - Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript” on 25 March 2025 as part of the “Kinoteka on tour” programme within the UK/Poland Season 2025;
• Tyneside, Newcastle, Great Britain - Screenings of the films “Farewells” and “The Saragossa Manuscript” on 20 March and 13 April 2025 as part of the “Kinoteka on tour” programme within the UK/Poland Season 2025;

April

• Filmoteca Espanola, Madrid, Spain – A complete retrospective of 14 films by Wojciech J. Has, as well as a lecture and debate;
• Cinemateca de Cuba, Havana, Cuba – Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript” as part of the project “Polish Cinema in Latin America 2025” implemented in 7 countries;
• Filmmuseum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany – Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript” on 2 April 2025;
• Showroom, Sheffield, Great Britain – Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript” on 5 April 2025 as part of the “Kinoteka on tour” programme within the UK/Poland Season 2025;
• Gulbenkian Arts Center, Canterbury, Great Britain – Screening of “Farewells” on 6 April 2025 as part of the “Kinoteka on tour” programme within the UK/Poland Season 2025;
• Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds, Great Britain – Screening of “Farewells” on 6 April 2025 as part of the “Kinoteka on tour” programme within the UK/Poland Season 2025;
• Broadway, Nottingham, Great Britain – Screenings of the films “Farewells” and “The Saragossa Manuscript” on 9 and 13 April 2025 as part of the “Kinoteka on tour” programme within the UK/Poland Season 2025;

May

• Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - a seminar on “The Saragossa Manuscript” (both Has’s film and Jan Potocki’s book);

June

• TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Spain - Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript”;
• Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival, Bologna, Italy - Screening of the restored copy of “The Saragossa Manuscript” with a guest lecture during the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival between 21 and 29 June;
• Teatro Filarmónica, Oviedo, Hiszpania - Retrospective of selected Has films with a special lecture;

July

• Filmoteca de Cantabria, Santander, Spain - Retrospective of selected Has films with a special lecture;

September

• Cinamtheque Seoul Art Cinema, Seoul, Republic of Korea - A complete retrospective of 14 films by Wojciech J. Has during the 7th Polish Film Festival in Korea with the participation of a special guest;
• Filmoteca Valenciana, Valencia, Spain - Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript”;

October

• Sala Leopoldo Lugones, Buenos Aires, Argentina - A complete retrospective of 14 films by Wojciech J. Has and a masterclass led by Polish expert;
• Cinemateca Uruguaya, Montevideo, Uruguay – Retrospective of selected Has films with a guest lecture;
• Filmoteca de Zaragoza, Saragossa, Spain - Screening of “The Saragossa Manuscript” and flamenco concert by Kamil Urbański;

November

• Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla, Seville, Spain - Screenings of “The Saragossa Manuscript” and “The Hourglass Sanatorium” as part of Esenciales at the Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla between 7 and 15 November 2025.

The organisers of the events in the Year of Wojciech Jerzy Has are: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, AVA ARTS Foundation, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Argentina, Complutense University of Madrid, HOMO VIATOR Foundation, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Cuba, Cinemateca de Cuba, Polish Institute in Dusseldorf, Polish Institute in London, British Film Institute, Documentary and Feature Film Studios (WFDiF), Polish Institute in Rome, The Filmoteca Española, Polish Institute in Madrid, DI Factory, Filmoteca Valenciana, Filmoteca de Zaragoza, Filmoteca de Cantabria, Oviedo Municipal Culture Foundation, TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla, Cinemateca Uruguaya, Sala Leopoldo Lugones in Buenos Aires.

Partners: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Polish Film Institute, Polish Institute in Madrid, Polish Embassy in Buenos Aires, IKH Pictures Production, Klassiki.