On the Wave of Time Exhibition | The 50th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia
22.09.2025–6.01.2026
vernissage: 22.09.2025, 5:00 p.m. (invitations required)
Museum of the City of Gdynia, ul. Zawiszy Czarnego 1A, Gdynia
tickets: PLN 20 adults (from 18 years of age), PLN 12 children / accreditations for the 50th PFF during the Festival
www.festiwalgdynia.pl/wystawa-na-fali-czasu/
Organiser of the exhibition: Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia
Curator: Piotr Kulesza
The On the Wave of Time exhibition is a narrative exposition presenting fifty years of the history of the most prestigious film event in Poland: the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. This is a story that began half a century ago with the passion for cinema of the first Festival Director, Lucjan Bokiniec, and the people gathered around the Żak Film Discussion Club in Gdańsk. An atmosphere of conversation, music, openness, fascination with film and its creators. A grassroots initiative that arose from the need to create a place that would allow for meetings, promotion of the young generation of creators, and confrontation with the audience. After a long journey from Sopot, Gdańsk, to the Musical Theatre in Gdynia, the Festival continues to seek a current perspective on Polish cinema, being a key place for the film industry and the next generation of viewers.
Through the exhibition’s narrative, we go back in time to recall the most important figures, events, award-winning films, the atmosphere of the Festival and its backstage. The titular wave will lead us from the contemporary magic of the red carpet to the fight for self-determination and artistic freedom of the film community in the times of the Polish People’s Republic. Important political events and micro-stories related to the experience of each participant.
We will look at the Festival through the eyes of the organisers, creators and, above all, the audience. They will share their experiences and emotions, which will paint a picture of this incredible event that has been generating interest and controversy for years. The Festival is an opportunity to meet, to talk about film and contemporary life. About one’s feelings and experiences, and also about the extent to which film shapes our perspective on the reality around us. It’s also a confrontation: with audiences, critics, funs of film, and ultimately, politics.
“The main idea was to create an exhibition that could have many views. The exhibition consists of twelve modules, each devoted to one major issue, which together form a broad and comprehensive story about the Festival. We wanted to extend the celebration of the 50th anniversary with this formula and to be able to share individual modules next year and create different versions of memories of the Polish Film Festival from them” says Agata Kozierańska-Burda, Managing Director of the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia, the originator of the exhibition.
The exhibition presents unpublished documents, memorabilia, and photographs, as well as magnificent awards, including the famous Golden Lions statuette, which has evolved over the years. Graphic elements and original objects are woven into a multimedia spectacle, incorporating film footage that captures the atmosphere of the Festival. The history of the event is varied, and each edition has its own character and significance in terms of its impact on Polish cinema. It is not only the highlights, but also the shadows, hence the exhibition is not arranged chronologically, but thematically presents the most important phenomena, as well as often difficult topics.
Above all, the exhibition is a nostalgic journey to the places and people whose commitment and work have enabled us to enjoy the magic of Polish films for half a century. The exhibition proves that despite the passage of time, one thing remains unchanged in Gdynia – the love of cinema.
Organiser of the exhibition: Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia
Partners of the exhibition: Museum of the City of Gdynia, Zarząd Morskiego Portu Gdynia S.A.
Originator of the exhibition: Agata Kozierańska-Burda
Curator and scenario of the exhibition: Piotr Kulesza
Consultations: Joanna Łapińska, Krystyna Zamysłowska, Mirosław Morzyk, Anna Wróblewska, Andrzej Ochalski
Scenographic arrangement and graphic design of the exhibition: Sławomir Bit
Design co-operation: Michał Bit
Poster design: Ola Jasionowska
Co-ordination: Agata Dzik, Zuzanna Sitek, Izabela Szamałek, Marta Chwastniewska-Jaworska, Joanna Śmiałek, Gabriela Zbirohowska-Kościa, Rafał Frankowski, Antonina Tucka
Communication about the exhibition: Krystyna Weiher-Sitkiewicz, Michał Miegoń
Audiovisual essays: Maciej Jurgielewicz
Animations: Kamil Danielewicz
Comic book panels: Rafał Szłapa
Booklets and facsimiles: Martyna Bit, Mariusz Nawrocki
Preparation of archival material: Katarzyna Raj
Production: StudioJaro/Jarosław Antosik
Media Patrons: Radio Gdańsk, Trójmiasto.pl, Dziennik Bałtycki, TVP 3 Gdańsk, Zawsze Pomorze, Magazyn Presto, Magazyn Pomorski
The archival materials, photographs and objects presented at the exhibition come from the collections of the Pomeranian Film Foundation Archive in Gdynia and private collections.
The exhibition was co-financed by the City of Gdynia and is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
The 50th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia will take place on 22nd–27th September 2025. The Producer of the Festival is the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.
On the Wave of Time Exhibition
22.09.2025–6.01.2025
Museum of the City of Gdynia
