•
103m
POLFF26: ASHES AND DIAMONDS
Book Tickets
Synopsis
Retrospective
Popiol i Diament
A landmark of post-war European cinema and a defining work of the Polish Film School, Ashes and Diamonds has been repeatedly named among the favourite films of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Visually striking and emotionally charged, it features an unforgettable performance by Zbigniew Cybulski, often called “the Polish James Dean”.
Poland, May 1945. As the war comes to an end, young resistance fighter Maciek is given one final mission: to assassinate a communist official representing the new Soviet-backed authorities. Then he meets Krystyna, a young waitress, and for the first time begins to imagine a different life — one beyond the underground, where he might simply fall in love and live. Torn between his oath and his longing for an ordinary future, he finds himself caught at the crossroads of history.
A film of extraordinary atmosphere and lasting power, it captures the uncertainty of a generation emerging from the ruins of war — caught between a past it cannot escape and a future it does not yet understand.
Its international reputation was established soon after its release. At the Venice International Film Festival in 1959, the film won the FIPRESCI Prize, while Ewa Krzyżewska received France’s Étoile de Cristal for Best Foreign Actress. It also received the Canadian Federation of Film Societies Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival and the David O. Selznick Silver Laurel.
Polish with English subtitles
Awards & Festivals
Venice International Film Festival, 1959 | WINNER: FIPRESCI Prize
Vancouver International Film Festival, 1960 | WINNER: Award of the Canadian Federation of Film Societies
D. O. Selznick, 1962 | WINNER: Silver Laurel
West German Film Critics, 1961 | WINNER: West German Film Critics Award
French Film Academy, 1962 | WINNER: Crystal Star – Best Foreign Actress, Ewa Krzyżewska
Czechoslovak Film Critics, 1965 | WINNER: Czechoslovak Film Critics Award
Addis Ababa International Film Festival, 1967 | WINNER: Honorary Mention
BAFTA, 1960 | NOMINEE: Film Award – Best Film
Opening Date
Sunday, Nov 29, 2026
Rating
CTC
Length
103m
Reviews
Fabulous. It’s a beautiful movie. It was an extraordinary movie for many reasons
One of the greatest works in the world. Ashes and Diamonds has a great visual and emotional power. It still resonates with me
Hauntingly fascinating, brilliantly conceived, and haunting. Packs a great deal of cinematic and just plain raw graphic power
This skillfully crafted, elegiac movie is a tense thriller, rich in religious symbolism, ironies shaped to get past the communist censors and unforgettable setpieces
Luna Recommended
111m
Pedro Almodóvar returns with this witty metafiction that satirises the vampiric nature of creativity.
117m
A story of love, faith and delicious pastries, this box office hit romantic comedy is a love story and a homage to Palermo.
106m
A rebellious coming-of-age story about friendship, faith and the messy business of growing up.
95m
Inspired by a true story, the discovery of a drawing by Pablo Picasso brings together a young woman and her eccentric elderly neighbour.
112m
Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville stars in this tense political thriller, based on a short story by Nobel Prize-winner Olga Tokarczuk
98m
Winner of the Audience Award at the Trieste Film Festival and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Warsaw Film Festival.
 1.png)