Polish Film Chronicle ( pl, Polska Kronika Filmowa) (1944–95) was a 10-minute-long

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, informa ...

shown in Polish cinemas prior to the main film. It continued the traditions of the pre-war

Polish Telegraphic Agency The Polish Telegraphic Agency (, PAT) was a Polish state-owned news agency established on October 31, 1918. Its main office was at first located in Krakow. Later, it was moved to Lwow, and finally to Warsaw, where it remained until the 1939 Inv ...

, and in

Communist Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

was often used as

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

tool. The chronicle was for the first time presented in Polish cinemas on December 1, 1944. It was produced biweekly by Warsaw's Wytwornia Filmow Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (Documentary and Feature Film Studio, WFDiF), with cooperation of Film Studio “Czolowka”. The chronicle served as a propaganda tool of the government of the

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

. It presented current events, economy, sports and culture news, commentaries and opinion journalism, also entertainment, like private life of

Irena Szewińska Irena Szewińska (née Kirszenstein; Polish pronunciation: ; 24 May 1946 – 29 June 2018) was a Polish Sprint (running), sprinter who was one of the world's foremost athletes for nearly two decades, in multiple events. She is the only athl ...

. Usually one newsreel consisted of five parts, each describing a different topic. In some cases, such as official holiday (e.g.

International Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

), whole newsreel was dedicated to the events of this holiday. Apart from cinemas, the chronicle was also presented in the 1960s by the

Polish Television Telewizja Polska S.A. (; "Polish Television"; TVP), also known in English as the public Polish Television is a Polish state media corporation. It is the largest Polish television network, although viewership has been declining in the 2010s. Sinc ...

. In few selected cases the chronicle presented news from outside of Poland, but this was rare, as it concentrated on domestic issues. First

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the Polish Film Chronicle was Jerzy Bossak, and among its speakers were such renowned actors, as

Władysław Hańcza Władysław Hańcza (1905–1977) was a Polish actor and theatre director. During World War II he joined an underground theater. After the war he was a lecturer at the State Theatre Academy in Warsaw. Selected filmography * '' Popioły'' (1965) ...

and

Andrzej Łapicki Andrzej Łapicki (11 November 1924 – 21 July 2012) was a Polish film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1947 and 1999. He was married twice. His first marriage to Zofia Chrząszczewska lasted from 1947 to her death in 2005. He then mar ...

. Among other personalities who cooperated with the chronicle were

Andrzej Munk Andrzej Munk (16 October 1921 – 20 September 1961) was a Polish film director, screen writer and documentalist. He was one of the most influential artists of the post-Stalinist period in the People's Republic of Poland. His feature films '' Ma ...

and

Władysław Szpilman Władysław Szpilman (; 5 December 1911 – 6 July 2000) was a Polish pianist and classical composer of Jewish descent. Szpilman is widely known as the central figure in the 2002 Roman Polanski film '' The Pianist'', which was based on Szpilman ...

. Almost all newsreels are black and white, although already in the 1950s, first colour productions were made, with the Sovcolor technology. Among colour newsreels are those which describe events of special importance, such as 1952 construction of the

Palace of Culture and Science A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

in Warsaw, 1953 reconstruction of

Warsaw Old Town Warsaw Old Town ( pl, Stare Miasto, italic=yes and colloquially as ''Starówka'') is the oldest part of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. It is bounded by the ''Wybrzeże Gdańskie'' (Gdańsk Boulevards), along with the bank of the Vistula river, ...

, the 1000 years of Poland Parade (1966), or

Mirosław Hermaszewski Mirosław Hermaszewski (; 15 September 1941 – 12 December 2022) was a Polish cosmonaut, fighter plane pilot, and Polish Air Force officer. He became the first, and at the time of his death in December 2022, the only, Polish national in space ...

’s flight (1978). Polish Film Chronicle was cancelled at cinemas on January 1, 1995. Warsaw's Documentary and Feature Film Studio still exists, and continues to make newsreels.

Sources

Historia o historii, czyli Polska Kronika Filmowa. Polish Radio article about the chronicle. 28.01.2013

External links

1979 Polish Film Chronicle about winter of the century
Newsreels Broadcasting in Poland 1944 establishments in Poland 1995 disestablishments in Europe Short film series