The 3rd National Culture Festival “Memory and Identity” will be held from 22 February to 1 March 2023. It will feature the best productions devoted to Polish culture and history that the Polish Television has made in the past several months.

The National Culture Festival is an event that promotes identity-themed content, commemorates the history of our country and the achievements of eminent Poles. 

Its name was taken from the title of a recent book-interview by St John Paul II, whose theme is man – a witness to the events of the 20th century, searching for identity and the meaning of the words ‘Homeland’, ‘Nation’, ‘Europe’. The festival was established on the initiative of the Polish Television and, in line with the mission of the public broadcaster, supporting Polish artists and their work.

The first day of the Festival (22 February) will be devoted to feature films and series. Films such as: “Prophet”, ” Eaglets. Grodno ’39’, ‘March ’68’, ‘Sonata’, ‘Filipa’ or the series ‘The Crown of Kings. The Jagiellonians’. The second day of the festival will be devoted to documentaries, and among them will feature: “Game for the Crown” about Jan Zamoyski, “Pickaxe instead of a rifle”, and films about Gustaw Herling-Grudziński and Jan Matejko.

On the weekend of 24-26 February, admission to Warsaw’s Iluzjon cinema will be free, and visitors will be able to watch films, series and documentaries devoted to Polish culture and history.

The best filmmakers will be honoured with Golden and Platinum Gorget statuettes, which refer to mementos of fallen national heroes. A statuette is also awarded to the production that wins the most votes from the public. Voting takes place via the website www.fkn.tvp.pl.

The festival is hosted annually from 22 February to 1 March, with the first event held in 2021. The announcement of the winners and the awarding of prizes takes place at a gala ceremony on 1 March, National Day of Remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers.

Adrian Andrzejewski