Newsreels of Resistance: Strikes 1989–1994

The years 1989–1994 witnessed not only Poland’s integration into the Western world as a result of political changes, but also a turbulent political transformation, the human cost of which proved to be enormous.

During those years, the Third Republic of Poland was swept by the largest wave of strikes in Polish history—from Nowa Huta to Słupsk, tens of thousands of workers at state-owned enterprises protested, often portrayed by official narratives as inept homo sovieticus, unable to adapt to life under capitalism.

Over the course of two evenings, we will examine the image of strikers in Poland during the transition period, as it was shaped in successive editions “Polish Film Chronicle” (which, ironically, also did not survive the transition—its screenings in cinemas were discontinued in December 1994).

The eighteen episodes of “PKF” that we will present in their entirety, chronologically over two evenings in May, bear witness to great tensions and poignant dramas, yet also paint a vivid picture of an era that is both close and distant. 

Alongside often ironic commentary, the “Chronicle” also features highly empathetic segments, sometimes even interventionist. 

In addition to material on strikes, “PKF” also depicts social (such as youth slang), consumer, and technological changes heralding the arrival of a new era (the first Polish fiber-optic cable).

We invite you on a journey through time: it will not be a nostalgic ride, but perhaps one that allows for a better understanding of a time of profound change, about which we still know too little and which continues to be a source of traumatic memories for all those whose economic security was sacrificed in the cost of the shocking leap toward the West.