The Polish Film Club presents this gem of delightful comedy horror (or horror comedy) that Roman Polanski directed in 1967. He reportedly enjoyed making the movie and his starring role in it - that of somewhat clueless assistant to a fearless vampire chaser professor. The score for this cult classic was provided by the great Krzysztof Komeda, who collaborated with Polanski for years, from Two People with the Wardrobe to Rosemary's Baby.

Note - this is Friday, so you can have a nice Polish dinner at the Polish Home restaurant.

Where: Library at the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home in Seattle; admission free

More: Roman Polanski, A Fearless ... review that fully shares the Editor's sentiments about the movie, Polish Film Club

Join local Seattle artist Alisa Lahti at the opening reception showing a new body of work, Meditations and Musings.  Inspired by her Polish heritage, life in the Pacific Northwest and nature, this new body of work displays traditional Polish paper-cutting motifs contrasted with contemporary, abstract interpretations.

If you haven't seen it - go for it! It's the biggest and the best Polish Festival in the western United States. Each year the Festival features exhibitions, jazz or piano concerts plus the two full days of performances by the best Polish folk groups from the west coast US and Canada , variety of merchandize and tons of pierogi & other Polish food as well as Polish beer. There are also polka contests on both days and dancing on the Saturday evening.

Where: St. Stanislaus Church & Polish Hall & Library, at an equivalent of a city block at 3900 N. Interstate Ave., Portland, OR; admission & entertainment free

More: Festival 2010 program, article about Festival, contact PLBA president Donata Tiley

The book for the meeting is Good Night Dzerzi by Janusz Glowacki, published by Swiat Ksiazki in 2010. The book is about Jerzy Kosinski, a famous and controversial Polish immigrant writer, the author of The Painted Bird. Glowacki, 72, is a playwright, novelist and screenwriter famous for his ironic take on culture and life in general and notably highlighting issues of emigration and identity. A long time New York City resident, he made a name for himself in the US with his play Antigone in New York. He currently lives in Poland. Club meetings are in Polish.

Where: Library at the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home in Seattle; admission free

More: Glowacki bio, Kosinski bio, about the book (PL), the book website (PL), Polish Book Club

The Landmark Varsity Theatre presents The Mill and the Cross directed by Lech Majewski. Mr. Majewski is an award winning Polish director whose movies are regularly presented at Seattle film festivals. The movie tells the story of Pieter Breughel's creating his 1564 painting The Way to Calvary. This visually stunning movie starring Rutger Hauer as Brueghel was featured at the Sundance Film Festival.

Where: the Landmark Harvard Exit Theatre in Seattle, from September 23-29 per printed info; their website indicates the moview running till Oct 6; please check with the theatre before you go

More: about The Mill & the Cross, Majewski Bio

The Library at the Polish Cultural Center invites you to the Polish Story Time Poczytajki for the youngest members of the Polish community. In this meeting: playing, dancing and drawing along with reading and all of it in Polish. You can also borrow Polish children books & movies for use at home. Organized by Monika Oczkowska-McNeal and the Polish Library.

Where: at the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home in Seattle; admission free, in Polish

More: Poczytajki at the Polish Library, Joanna Wroblewska, Poczytajki blog,

Fr. Eugeniusz Bolda and SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Tacoma invite everybody to a Polish harvest festival. The program starts with a mass at 11 am with a Thanksgiving procession, then from 1 pm to 5 pm harvest related performances include a children theater performance at 2 pm and harvest legends at 3:30 pm, a raffle and finally a harvest concert at 5 pm.

Where: at the Parish Hall of SS Peter a& Paul in Tacoma; admission free, in Polish

More: Contact Fr. Bolda & to the Parish is (206) 282 1804

Salon of Poetry in Seattle presents Peace Through Art / Pokoj przez sztuke, an evening of poetry and dance commemorating start of WWII in September 1939 in Poland. The program includes: in part I: poems by  Z. Herbert, Cz. Milosz, L. Chudzinski & H. Duda recited by Salon members with Chopin's Nocturne in C Sharp Minor & Waltz in C Sharp Minor by pianist Marzena Szlaga; in part II: Japanese butoh dancing by Joan Laage to music by Samuel Yoder. Prepared as usual by Lena Wrozynski.

Where: at the Polish Cultural Center; admission free

More:  Salon of Poetry, Joan Laage, Butoh in Seattle

Lombard is a Polish pop & rock group that was very popular in Poland in late 1980s & early 1990s. They made a splash again in 1999 with a new dynamic singer Marta Cugier and produce new CD regularly. still have a strong fan base. The five-member group comes to Seattle again (they played at the same venue in 2006) with the long time leader Grzeorz Strozniak, presenting both their hits and new compositions.

Where: at the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home upper hall; tickets $35 regular / $32 members at the door, $30 advanced; for tickets and reservation please contact Asia Jeziorska 425-417-9548 or Renata Mroz 206-362-7917. A Lombard concert in Portland on Sep 15 has been cancelled.

More: Lombard on wiki (PL), Lombard site, Lombard TV on YouTube,

The Stage Jotka Format Theatre from Vancouver, BC presents a tragi-grotesqe in a commedia dell'arte convention titled Dzieckiem podszyty and adapted from Gombrowicz's Ferdydurke by Piotr Skrzynecki and Jerzy Kopczewski. The play directed by J. Kopczewski and  Kasia Marzencka is inaugurating the season for the new Polish theater in Vancouver BC, Teatr Osobny Malych Form - Jotka.

Where: at the Inlet Theatre / City Hall in Port Moody / Metro Vancouver, BC; in Polish

More:  Poster w/ contacts etc., Witold Gombrowicz

Sep 14, 6 pm: First Day of School at the Polish School in Bellevue

The Fr. Jan Twardowski Polish School in Bellevue invites children from the Eastside and Seattle areas. The School is separate from the Polish School in Seattle. Subjects include Polish language, geography, history and culture classes offered to children from grades 1 to 8, based on proficiency in Polish. The School also has a program of Polish as a second language for children. All classes are on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm at the East Shore Unitarian Church.
 
Where: classes at the East Shore Unitarian Church Education Building in Bellevue.
More: Polish School in Bellevue, annacholewinska@verizon.net or Anna Cholewinska at 425 736 1209

Stanislaw Michalkiewicz

Stanislaw Michalkiewicz is a popular conservative author, publicist and columnist. He is closely affiliated with the Catholic Radio Maryja of Torun, Poland, as well as weeklies Najwyzszy Czas and Nasza Polska. Mr. Michalkiewicz published several books on different topics related to Polish politics and the conservative agenda. His books will be available at the meeting.

Where: at the Parish Hall of SS Peter a& Paul in Tacoma; admission free, in Polish

More: Michalkiewicz site (inPolish), tel. to the Parish (206) 282 1804

The Juliusz Slowacki Polish School in Seattle offers classes to individuals of all ages. Children from grades 1-8 learn Polish language & literature, as well history and geography of Poland; assignment is based on proficiency level in Polish. Adults can learn Polish as beginners or at intermediate & advanced levels. All classes at the Polish Cultural Center in Seattle on Mondays starting on September 19, 2011.

Also: The School is looking for a teacher for the adult class and for the principal.

Where: classes at the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home; on Mondays at 6 pm

More: Info about registration (PL), for children contact Paul Griffin at plg77@drizzle.com, for adults  contact Marian Strutynski (425) 746-3037, Polish School in Seattle

Four Nights with Anna

Essential Killing

Walkover

The Northwest Film Forum invites to a mini-retrospective Success is the Best Revenge: The Films of Jerzy Skolimowski. Skolimowski is a very accomplished director who collaborated with Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polanski before he launched his own career with awards from places such as Berlin or Venice film festivals.

  
The program at  NW Film Forum includes these movies:

      Sep   9, 8 pm: Four Nights with Anna / Cztery noce z Anna (2008)

      Sep 10, 8 pm: Essential Killing (2010)

      Sep 12, 8 pm: Identification Marks: None / Znakow szczegolnych brak (1964)

      Sep 13, 8 pm: Walkover / Walkower (1965)

                               this screening includes 3 early shorts: The Menacing Eye / Oko wykol (1960),

                                Little Hamlet / Hamles (1960) and Erotique / Erotyk (1960)

Skolimowski directed about 20 movies from 1960s to 1990s, with about half of them made in UK, France and US. After a long break of 17 years he made 3 movies from 2008-2010 to a great acclaim of the critics, the public and festivals' jurors.

Where: Northwest Film Forum in Seattle; series passes $30 regular / $20 NWFF members,individual tickets $9 regular

More: Success is the Best Revenge program at the NWFF, Jerzy Skolimowski

The Zgoda Polish Friendship Society from Vancouver, BC invites to the traditional Polish Harvest Festival (Dozynki). The two-day program includes a movie and dancing on Saturday and on Sunday performances by several folk groups from Polish & Serbian to Ecuadorian & Polynesian; Polish cabaret Kropka nad i, a puppet show for children, dancing & more and of course Polish food & beer.

Where: Polish Community Center Zgoda, Vancouver, BC

More: Full program here (in Polish), for reservations & info please contact Zgoda

The Polish Home in Seattle opens for business as usual, including the restaurant and the bar, on September 9, 2011.

More: the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home in Seattle

Sep 7, 6:30 pm: Registration & Open House at the Polish School in Bellevue

Fr. Jan Twardowski Polish School in Bellevue invites children from the Eastside as well as Seattle. The School is separate from the Polish School in Seattle. Subjects include Polish language, geography, history and culture classes offered to children from grades 1 to 8, based on proficiency in Polish. The School also has a program of Polish as a second language for children. All classes are on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm. The first day of school is September 14, 2010.
 
Where: open house at the East Shore Unitarian Church Education Building, Bellevue.
More: Polish School in Bellevue, annacholewinska@verizon.net or Anna Cholewinska at 425 736 1209.

Ms. Anna Skibska is an internationally acclaimed artist working primarily in glass. She is a longtime Seattle resident and a graduate of the Arts Academy in Wroclaw, Poland. The exhibition at the Pacini Lubel Gallery titled Where is d. gold fish? features new works by Anna Skibska and Meg Holgate. The exhibition is open till October 15, 2011.

Where: at the Pacini Lubel Gallery in downtown Seattle; admission free

More: Skibska at Pacini Lubel, Skibska and her art, Anna Skibska's site

Camerawork Gallery in Portland presents an exhibition by Polish-Canadian artist Andrzej Maciejewski. Garden of Eden is a series of still-life photographs of fruits and vegetables inspired by the Old Masters paintings, and illustrating a difference between the stereotype created by our culture and reality created by our civilization. Mr. Maciejewski was educated in Poland and Czechoslovakia and is based in Yarker, ON; he has several photographic projects, exhibits and books to his name.