Custody

After the film there will be a meeting with the director Wiesław Saniewski.

The year is 1967. Klara (Ewa Błaszczyk) is sentenced for her involvement in financial fraud. She is taken to prison straight from her wedding, intensifying her shock. Adding to her distress, she soon discovers she is pregnant. Faced with a harsh, insular, and brutal prison environment, Klara must quickly learn how to survive. But she also faces a deeply personal dilemma: should she have the child? Should she compromise, or fight for herself? Wiesław Saniewski’s path to directing was unconventional – he started as a film critic before stepping behind the camera himself. In his directorial debut, he set the bar high, tackling a subject largely ignored by filmmakers in communist Poland. Under the PRL regime, the camera rarely ventured behind prison walls, as if prisons – and particularly women’s prisons – did not exist at all. Custody is a gripping drama that explores the limits of personal freedom, the balance between crime and punishment, and the complex dynamics between the individual and the system.

Piotr Kotowski

Wiesław Saniewski (born 1948) is a Polish director, screenwriter, and film critic known for his sharp social insight and subtle irony. Custody (1983) is a poignant drama set in communist Poland, while A Stranger Must Fly (1993) exposes media manipulation. In The Immensity of Justice (2006), he examines ethics in the Polish legal system. His films, often exploring moral dilemmas, stand out for their precise storytelling and strong, well-drawn characters. Saniewski remains a vital voice in Polish auteur cinema, consistently challenging audiences with thought-provoking reflections on society.

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