Budapest Classic Film Marathon 2026: The Pianist

Director: Roman Polanski

Written by Wladyslaw Szpilman 
Screenplay by Ronald Harwood 
Director of photography: Pawel Edelman 
Music by Wojciech Kilar 
Cast: Adrien Brody, Emilia Fox, Michal Zebrowski 

Open Archives - Archive Treasures 

After the screening discussion with Pawel Edelman cinematographer.
Moderated by Malgorzata Takács
Language of the programme: Polish, with Hungarian interpretation

The Pianist presents the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto and the devastation of the Holocaust through the real-life story of Polish-Jewish pianist Władysław Szpilman. As a child, director Roman Polański actually lived through the Nazi occupation and his mother was murdered in Auschwitz. The personal nature of events and vision that evolves out of masterful cinematography combine to result in a most moving impact – seen through the eyes of Szpilman – in which historical inhumanity and the struggle for survival become an experiential reality. 

More information on the Budapest Classic Film Marathon's program at Uránia >>