City at the Cinema: Stars and Whistles

On July 18, 1896, an itinerant entrepreneur, whose first and last name remain unknown today, showed moving photographs in Warsaw for the first time. Posters and announcements advertised the miracle of the 19th century and the unprecedented novelty of EDISON'S KINEMATOGRAPH – THE THEATRE OF LIVING PHOTOGRAPHS. The show took place in the Hall of the Resursa Obywatelska at Krakowskie Przedmieście 64. The next screening of living photographs took place in Kraków on November 14, and less than 10 days later, "the sensational invention of the present was seen for the first time by the residents of Poznań. In 2026, we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the first cinematographic shows on Polish lands. This is a perfect opportunity to tell the history of cinema and cast Warsaw in a leading role. In this approach, the capital will be the stage for pioneers and inventors, owners of cinematographs, visionaries and entrepreneurs building the first film empires, as well as for film stars and the Warsaw audience. The meeting on 22.10 will be led by Michał Pieńkowski, who is passionate about everything that can be called pre-war Polish show business. For 20 years he has been associated with the Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny, where he takes care of the pre-war film collection. He worked on the reconstruction of more than one hundred pre-war films. Scientifically and as a hobby, he deals with the history of phonography.