Powódź

Shortly after World War II the newsreels dominated the entire film production in Poland. The documentary production was part of the news section. Although this in itself might be considered dubious, it was a fact that in spite of this situation and sometimes even thanks to the news material, Polish documentaries had a high quality. Klezka powodzi is a case in point. This documentary stands out due to the sophisticated perspectives and artistic form of the weekly newscast that precedes the film, which also reports on a flood in Poland. The film, containing the same shots as the regular weekly newscast, was presented as a special episode. Jerzy Bossak designed a montage that created an impressionistic documentary, giving the images an impressive plasticity without stylizing them. Klezka powodzi was after Suita Warszawska the second Polish documentary that garnered international praise. The film was widely distributed abroad and was awarded the prize for best documentary at the Cannes Festival of 1947. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)