The Dryden will screen The Pianist (Roman Polanski, France/Poland/Germany/U.K./U.S. 2002, 150 min., 35mm) as part of A Century of Polish Independence series.

Based on the autobiography of the acclaimed Polish Jewish composer and pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, the film details his experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. Together with all of the city's Jews, Szpilman's family was forced to give up their possessions and move to the Warsaw ghetto. He miraculously avoided deportation from the ghetto to a Nazi death camp—though the remaining members of his family did not. Szpilman eventually managed to escape and went into hiding in the ruins of Warsaw, scavenging for food and shelter. At the 75th Academy Awards, The Pianist won Oscars for Best Director (Roman Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood), and Best Actor (Adrien Brody), and was nominated for four other awards, including Best Picture. The film also won the Palme d'Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, among many other awards.

[source: George Eastman Museum calendar, 2018-Oct-15]