Bleak Week: Andrzej Wajda: Three War Films – ‘Kanał’
June 7, 2026: 4:45 PM
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“Watch them closely, for these are the last hours of their lives,” announces a narrator, foretelling the tragedy that unfolds as a war-ravaged company of Home Army resistance fighters tries to escape the Nazi onslaught through the sewers of Warsaw. Determined to survive, the men and women slog through the hellish labyrinth, piercing the darkness with the strength of their individual spirits. Based on true events, "Kanał" was the first film ever made about the Warsaw Uprising and brought director Andrzej Wajda to the attention of international audiences, earning the Special Jury Prize in Cannes in 1957.
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.
"Kanał" 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.
