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2 Law & Admin. Post-Soviet Eur. 4 (2015)

handle is hein.journals/lape2 and id is 1 raw text is: DE GRUYTER OPEN IE- DOI: 10.1515/lape-2015-0001 Anna Garczewska Kolegium Jagiellonskie Torunska Szkola Wyisza Polish contemporary legal system and its movie depict Key words: Polish law, law-and-film, movies about lawyers, organized crime, justice system 1. Introduction Polish law is portrayed by films, directly or indirectly. There are very few Polish films dealing directly and thoroughly with legal issues1, some of them are based on or inspired by real cases2, some are documentaries3. Legal problems are often presented when dealing with political matters, usually in the background, as a sort of 1 Such films were also made during the communist regime (e.g.: Without Anesthesia (Bez znieczulenia), dir. A. Wajda, 1978; No End (Bez konca), dir. K. Kieslowski, 1984; A short film about killing (Krotki film o zabijaniu) dir. K. Kieslowski, 1987; Collusion (Zmowa), dir. J. Petelski, 1988). Legal system existing in Poland between 1944 and 1989 as well as a bit different conception of popular culture during that time would demand more in-depth analysis, therefore such films are omitted in this article, as I concen- trate on contemporary law and culture. 2 For example: Collusion (Zmowa, dir. J. Petelecki, 1988), The Debt (Dlug, dir. K. Krauze, 1999), Immensity of Justice (Bezmiar sprawiedliwosci, dir. W. Saniewski, 2006). Collusion (Zmowa) is based on Polaniec case of 1976, that was also made into series of articles, books and a theatre play. The other two films are described herein. s E.g.: Execution (Egzekucja), dir. J. Krysiak, J. Moraw- ski, 2000; Strongwoman (Silaczka), dir. M. Zmarz-Koczano- wicz, Poland 2002. explanation or consequences, connected with the main subject - politics4. Sometimes Polish law is also pre- sented in foreign movies or in films in cooperation with Polish filmmakers5. There are also festivals6 or presenta- tions'of legal films in Poland, raising awareness of legal and social problems. I would say that films dealing with Polish legal sys- tem, as scarce as they are, may be classified into three groups depending on their main subject: 4 E.g. Pigs (Psy), dir. W. Pasikowski, 1992; The Pro- vocateur (Prowokator), dir. K. Lang, 1995; Entanglement (Uwiklanie), dir. J. Bromski, 2011; Aftermath (Poklosie), dir. W. Pasikowski, 2012. s For example: To Kill a Priest (Zabil ksirdza, dir. A. Holland, USA /France, 1988), Polish cash (Polski crash), dir. K. Heidelbach, 1993; Strajk - Die Heldin von Danzig (Strajk dir. V. Schlondorff, Poland /Germany ,2006); Hope (Nadzieja), dir. S. Mucha, Poland/Germany 2007; Limou- sine (Kierowca, dir. J. Dassier, Poland, 2008). 6 Most known festival of films on human rights is WATCH DOCS, an international event organized since 2001. ' There are also some reviews or presentations of legal movies, organized mostly locally within universities (usually by and for law students), barely advertised, and majority of the movies presented there are not Polish. LAW AND ADMINISTRATION IN POST-SOVIET EUROPE THE JOURNAL OF KOLEGIUM JAGIELLONSK E ToRUNSKA SZKOLA WYzszA VoL. 91: 4-16