Still from Katarzyna Klimkiewicz’s Flying Blind, one of the films screened at Polish Filmmakers NYC’s series Different Ages, Different Voices: Polish Women in Film.
April Hattori and Agata Drogowska, both members of New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), met each other and a film series was launched. Hattori discusses this NYWIFT networking success story:
In 2012, Agata Drogowska saw the need to increase awareness of Polish cinema. Renowned directors of the Polish Film School, such as Andrzej Wajda and Agnieszka Holland, influenced the development of cinematography worldwide after World War II. They inspired a new generation of Polish filmmakers who continue their tradition in a modern context.
Drogowska wanted to launch a screening series of Polish films that would create dialogue around the films through Q&As. As a filmmaker and artist herself, she understood all too well the importance of collaboration to get projects completed.
“I didn’t have much to work with, but I had a good idea and lots of people in Poland and the US who I thought would see the value in doing this,” she says.
To kick off her plan, Drogowska partnered with Studio Munka, a Polish organization that promotes emerging filmmakers, to hold a free three-day film series, The New Generation of Polish Filmmakers. It included the New York premiere of the award-winning film Women’s Day, directed by Maria Sadowska. Several organizations sponsored the series, including the Polish Film Institute, Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, Polish Cultural Institute New York, and NYWIFT.
Getting the word about the film series was Drogowska’s next challenge, including promoting it to an audience beyond the Polish community. She knew she needed more PR help, in addition to the consultants she already had on board. Drogowska and I had met about two months before the film series’ opening night, and given my expertise in PR and marketing, the timing was perfect. I was looking for a freelance work to sink my teeth into and was excited to be part of such a groundbreaking project.
I helped Drogowska establish a social media presence for Polish Filmmakers NYC, reach out to media to publicize opening night, create event registrations through Eventbrite, and identify organizations and individuals to contact to raise awareness about the event. These efforts led to a sold-out opening night and film series. It was only the beginning of Polish Filmmakers NYC’s steady growth.
“One of the amazing things about our screenings is that our films draw a diverse audience — not just those in the Polish community,” says Drogowska.
She also points out the efforts of one of the film series’ supporters, Polish Film Institute, in reviving Polish cinema during the last 10 years.
“It supports bold new projects and a new generation of filmmakers, many of them women, such as Kasia Rosłaniecand Małgorzata Szumowska, both of whom won major prizes at the 2013 Berlinale.“
Since its launch, Polish Filmmakers NYC has held monthly screenings and special events centered around Polish films, which consistently sell out.
On its one-year anniversary, the organization held a sold-out three-day film series Different Ages, Different Voices: Polish Women in Film, which had its opening night at the Museum of Modern Art. The series was programmed by Drogowska and Michał Oleszczyk, one of the leading film critics and scholars in Poland, as well as a regular contributor to sites such as RogerEbert.com and Slant Magazine. Additional marketing help came from Kamila Slawinski, a NYWIFT member.
Drogowska says NYWIFT has played an important role in Polish Filmmakers NYC’s success.
“I couldn’t have gotten Polish Filmmakers NYC off the ground without NYWIFT’s support. The behind-the-scenes help and promotion of our films to its membership have been invaluable,” she says. “In addition, the networking opportunities at NYWIFT enabled me to meet April Hattori and other amazing NYWIFT members who have made important contributions to our growth.”
Find out about upcoming screenings from Polish Filmmakers NYC and more updates on Facebook.
nywift
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Rhona Silverbush
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rhona Silverbush! Rhona’s windy career path led to her co-writing the award-winning pilot for Dark Ladies, a series she and Sami Plotkin are poised to take into the marketplace. Rhona studied psychology and theater, acted regionally, became a lawyer representing asylum seekers, and worked with the Roosevelt Institute before returning to her first loves – theater and writing. She co-produced/co-directed Conversations with Shakespeare with Daniela Varon at Symphony Space. She’s written Speak the Speech! Shakespeare’s Monologues Illuminated with Sami Plotkin; ‘wichcraft: craft a sandwich into a meal–and a meal into a sandwich’ for chefs Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar; and the Terrific Toddlers picture books with Carol Zeavin. She’s also a story consultant for documentarian George Nierenberg. In our interview, Rhona shares insight on pivoting careers, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and all things Shakespeare.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Asha Dahya
Welcome to NYWIFT, Asha Dahya! Asha Dahya is a social impact filmmaker and storyteller. She is the director and producer of an award-winning short documentary about later abortion called Someone You Know, which premiered at the 2024 Athena Film Festival. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for My Name Is Siri, an autism awareness documentary that premiered on PBS. In 2025, Asha executive produced and co-hosted an award-winning audio and video series about Latin America’s Green Wave abortion rights movement called Green Tide Rising. Her latest short documentary is A Tiny Revolution, the story of how Meg Crane invented the first home pregnancy test.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Alison Fraser
Welcome to NYWIFT, Alison Fraser! Alison is an award-winning producer and media executive with more than 20 years of experience in the North American entertainment industry. Her career spans work with major organizations including HBO, BET, Court TV, TELUS Storyhive/Originals, and Rogers. She has served as a board member for Gender Equity in Media Society Vancouver (GEMS), formerly Women in Film and Television Vancouver (WIFTV). She has also held leadership roles with Storyhive, Telefilm, Entertainment One, Shaftesbury, and as an Executive Producer at Rephrase Filmworks. Alison holds a graduate degree in Journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, is a graduate of the Women in Film and Television Media Leadership Program, and recently completed an Executive MBA with a Business in the Americas specialization, which included studies at business schools in São Paulo, Mexico City, and Nashville.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Rachel Schwartz
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rachel Schwartz! Rachel Schwartz has been a staff member at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) since January 2019, in rising roles as the Manager, then Director, and now Head of Daytime and Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. Prior to that, she worked at the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, for eight years. Therefore, she is halfway to an “administrative EGOT.” Rachel graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Women’s Studies in 2005. The crowning achievement of her education was her undergraduate thesis on a proposed new voting system for the Primetime Emmys. She has been obsessed with awards shows since sixth grade, when she passed out Oscar ballots to the rest of her class. She is proud to be a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens.
READ MORE
