Lem 2021: I’ve Seen the Future
A Stanisław Lem Centennial Screening Series (ONLINE)
April 29 – June 10
Presented by AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, the Polish Film Festival Miami
and the Embassy of Poland in Washington, D.C.
To mark the centennial of Polish literature icon Stanisław Lem (1921–2006), Poland has declared 2021 the "Year of Stanisław Lem," with dozens of events and artistic projects being organized to mark the occasion across the world.
Perhaps best known worldwide as the author of the 1961 novel, "Solaris," Stanisław Lem produced dozens upon dozens of novels, stories and essays throughout his nearly 60-year career. Renowned particularly for his work in the realm of science fiction, Lem's artistic output covers a plethora of genres, encompassing memoirs, accounts of his wartime experiences and philosophical texts. His science fiction narratives themselves often take unexpected and experimental forms, extending freely into the territories of philosophy and satire to create worlds that to contemporary eyes eerily prefigure everything from Google to virtual reality and smartphones.
This series spotlights some of the many eclectic, cinematic adaptations of Lem's work, from filmmakers as diverse as Andrei Tarkovsky (SOLARIS [1972]) and Andrzej Wajda (ROLY POLY) to Ari Folman (THE CONGRESS) and Steven Soderbergh (SOLARIS [2002]). The presentation will also include IKARIS XB-1 and HIS MASTER’S VOICE, Lem’s inspired films produced in Central Europe, where Lem’s heritage has been particularly strong. The screenings will be accompanied by introductions from film and literature experts: Michał Oleszczyk, a renowned Polish film critic and scholar, Marek Piestrak, the director of INQUEST OF PILOT PIRX, Tomasz Kolankiewicz, the artistic director of the Gdynia Polish Film Festival, Eliza Rose, an assistant professor of Central European Studies at the University of North Carolina and sci-fi literature expert, and Gabriel Paletz, a professor of Film History at the Prague Film School.
The series is presented by the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, the Polish Film Festival Miami and the Embassy of Poland in Washington, D.C. For all films screening online in AFI Silver's Virtual Screening Room, click here to get tickets. All films screening online via the Polish Film Festival Miami are available for free – just visit movies.pffmiami.com.
All films are only available for viewers in the United States.