The Ghosts

The lives of two young revue dancers are anything but carefree. Teresa (Hanka Karwowska) and Linka (Jadwiga Andrzejewska) struggle against the harsh realities of the 1930s entertainment industry, which shows little mercy to ambitious young women. Their relationships with men, who exploit their inexperience, bring further disappointment and pain. As events unfold, the future of both heroines grows increasingly uncertain.

The Ghosts holds an important place in the history of Polish cinema as a bold attempt to move beyond the formulas of commercial genre filmmaking. Produced by the Film Authors’ Cooperative – an organization committed to artistically ambitious and socially engaged cinema – the film adapts a popular and critically acclaimed novel by Maria Ukniewska, noted for its reportage-style realism.

Karolina Hołub

Eugeniusz Cękalski (1906–1952) – a multifaceted filmmaker: director, screenwriter, producer, critic, and film theorist. He was a co-founder of the START Association (Association of Art Film Enthusiasts) and the Film Authors’ Cooperative, both advocating for socially engaged and artistically ambitious cinema. His films were recognized both in Poland and internationally. His poetic documentary Three Chopin Etudes (1937) was distinguished at the Venice Film Festival, and his feature debut The Ghosts (1938) remains one of the most compelling works of pre-war Polish cinema.

Karol Szołowski (1908–1942) – director and screenwriter associated with the START Association and the Film Authors’ Cooperative. He created poetic short films such as Lato ludzi (1933), as well as documentaries including Among Poles in France (1938). During the interwar period, he directed two feature films: The Ghosts (1938, co-directed with Eugeniusz Cękalski) and On the Niemen (1939, co-directed with Wanda Jakubowska). The latter was never released due to the outbreak of World War II and is now considered lost.

section co-organizer