Bleak Week: Andrzej Wajda: Three War Films – ‘Ashes and Diamonds’
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On the last day of World War II in a small town somewhere in Poland, Polish exiles of war and the occupying Soviet forces confront the beginning of a new day and a new Poland. In this incendiary environment we find Home Army soldier Maciek Chelmicki, who has been ordered to assassinate an incoming commissar. But a mistake stalls his progress and leads him to Krystyna, a beautiful barmaid who gives him a glimpse of what his life could be. Gorgeously photographed and brilliantly performed, "Ashes and Diamonds" masterfully interweaves the fate of a nation with that of one man, resulting in one of the most important Polish films of all time.
Part of the 2026 Andrzej Wajda Centennial to mark the centennial of Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda (1926–2016) — and the “Year of Andrzej Wajda” in Poland.
"Ashes and Diamonds" plays as part of Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair. Co-presented by the American Cinematheque, Bleak Week spotlights a diverse lineup of films that venture into the darkest sides of humanity and the bleakest points in human history.
What began as a Los Angeles-based festival expands this year to 73 cities around the world, including San Diego's Digital Gym Cinema! Founded in 2022, Bleak Week is an annual weeklong festival where audiences can celebrate and experience some of the most challenging works of arthouse cinema. Each June, ‘Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair’ spotlights a diverse lineup of films that venture into the darkest sides of humanity and the bleakest points in human history.
Digital Gym Cinema is proud to be a participating cinema in the expanded fifth edition of Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair which runs from June 5 through June 11.
