DATE: October 10, 5:00 PM

The Copernicus Endowment for Polish Studies at the University of Michigan and the Michigan Theater proudly present the Annual Copernicus Lecture, which will be given by acclaimed director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland. The lecture, “A Filmmaker’s Approach to Society’s Most Vexing Concerns,” follows a month-long series featuring Holland’s films. Her lecture will be followed at 7:00 PM by a free screening of Oscar-nominated In Darkness, based on Robert Marshall’s heroic tale of surviving the Holocaust in the sewers of Lvov. While at U-M, Holland will also visit a Screen Arts and Cultures course taught by Professor Daniel Herbert.

Agnieszka Holland graduated in 1971 from the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. There she studied with Miloš Forman and Ivan Passer and participated in the Prague Spring. She launched her film career in Poland through her collaboration with Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi, winning prizes and accolades for her first feature-length film, Provincial Actors, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1980. Holland received Academy Award nominations for Angry Harvest (1985), Europa Europa (1990), which was also nominated for a Golden Globe, and In Darkness (2012). Her screenwriting career includes classics such as Kieslowski’s Blue, Wajda’s Rough Treatment and Korczak, as well as Bogayewicz’s Anna. Holland is currently working on a mini-series for HBO titled Burning Bush, about a hero of the Prague Spring.

Since 1980 the University of Michigan has hosted prominent political, cultural, and academic figures from Poland as part of the Annual Copernicus Lecture series. These presentations have featured the rich variety of Polish intellectual and cultural life.

All events are free and open to the public. For detailed information about the Annual Copernicus Lecture and Holland Film Retrospective, please visit www.ii.umich.edu/crees.

CO-SPONSORS: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Department of Screen Arts & Cultures; Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures; Michigan Theater; Polish Cultural Fund - Ann Arbor.

WEB LINKS: www.ii.umich.edu/crees/events and www.ii.umich.edu/crees/copernicus

The Nicolaus Copernicus Endowment was established in 1973 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the great Polish astronomer’s multifaceted genius. Initially created with the cooperation of students, faculty, and Polish-Americans of Michigan, the Copernicus Endowment is sustained today by the energy and financial assistance of hundreds of individual supporters. The principal goal of the Endowment is to enable faculty appointments, programming, and student fellowships in Polish studies. Income from the Endowment makes the Annual Copernicus Lecture possible, and ensures the continued scheduling of public events dedicated to advancing a deeper understanding of the people, culture, and politics of Poland.

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