Agnieszka Holland

Directing

Agnieszka Holland

Born

1948-11-28 (77)

Place of birth

Warsaw, Poland

Known for

Directing

Credits

64 titles

Agnieszka Holland (born November 28, 1948) is a Polish film and TV director and screenwriter. Best recognized for her highly political contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland's most prominent filmmakers. Description above from the Wikipedia article Agnieszka Holland, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Mr. Jones poster
6.7

In 1933, Welsh journalist Gareth Jones travels to Ukraine, where he experiences the horrors of a famine. Everywhere he goes he meets henchmen of the Soviet secret service who are determined to prevent news about the catastrophe from getting out. Stalin’s forced collectivisation of agriculture has resulted in misery and ruin—the policy is tantamount to mass murder.

Mr. Jones

2019

Spoor poster
6.1

A story about Janina Duszejko, an elderly woman, who lives alone in the Klodzko Valley where a series of mysterious crimes are committed. Duszejko is convinced that she knows who (or what) is the murderer, but nobody believes her.

Spoor

2017

In Darkness poster
6.9

A dramatization of one man's rescue of Jewish refugees in the Nazi-occupied city of Lviv. In Darkness tells the true story of Leopold Soha who risks his own life to save a dozen people from certain death. Initially only interested in his own good, the thief and burglar hides Jewish refugees for 14 months in the sewers of the Nazi-occupied town of Lviv (formerly Poland).

In Darkness

2011

The Secret Garden poster
7.4

A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.

The Secret Garden

1993

Ekipa poster
7.3

Ekipa is a Polish political drama TV series created and directed by Agnieszka Holland, aired from 13 September 2007 until 6 December 2007 on Polsat. Ekipa is the second Polish political fiction series after the 1980s miniseries The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma.

Ekipa

2007

Total Eclipse poster
6.4

Young, wild poet Arthur Rimbaud and his mentor Paul Verlaine engage in a fierce, forbidden romance while feeling the effects of a hellish artistic lifestyle.

Total Eclipse

1995

Film credits

2020s · 5 titles

Leonardo DiCaprio: Most Wanted! poster
6.5

From his juvenile, tormented, heroic roles, which made him a global phenomenon, to his darker mature roles, a portrait of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio, a consummate performer and probably the most successful film star of his generation.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Most Wanted!

2021

Art-House America: Austin Film Society poster
NR

Founded by Richard Linklater in 1985 as a screening series dedicated to bringing experimental and art cinema to the city of Austin, Texas, the Austin Film Society has grown into a cornerstone of the city's creative community - while remaining true to its edgy, eclectic roots.

Art-House America: Austin Film Society

2023

No artwork available
1.0

The film was inspired by one of the most important documentaries shot by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Talking Heads (1980). The director asked his interlocutors seemingly simple questions, such as “Who are you?” and “What do you want?”.

Talking Heads 2021

2021

Igor and After poster
NR

This year’s gallery of artistically inspiring portraits of uncompromising eccentrics (among them The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld, Robert Richardson: The White Devil and A Pint of Ink) features another unobtrusive stand-out in the shape of Igor Luther, a key figure of Slovak and European cinematography. Ivan Ostrochovský’s perspective is rare, dynamic and also meditative, while Luther himself co-authored the project during the last few months of his life. Works such as Juraj Jakubisko’s Birds, Orphans and Fools, Volker Schlöndorff’s The Tin Drum and Andrzej Wajda’s Danton, in the persuasive words of their creators, wouldn't have the same timeless energy today if it weren't for Luther's visionary endeavours.

Igor and After

2026

I Dreamed the Future poster
NR

A documentary essay about the period during which Andrzej Wajda went from being merely an observer of history to becoming one of its protagonists. The film covers the years 1976–2000 – from Man of Marble, through Man of Iron and the birth of Solidarity, the experience of martial law and Wajda’s involvement in public life, right up to his election to the Senate and receiving an Honorary Academy Award.

I Dreamed the Future

2026

2010s · 9 titles

French Cinema Mon Amour poster
5.2

French Cinema Mon Amour is an ensemble film in which each contributor brings their own voice, their own particular approach, their culture, and their language to produce a portrait of French cinema.

French Cinema Mon Amour

2015

The Return of Agnieszka H. poster
5.0

Documentary about the famous Polish director Agnieszka Holland and her relationship to Czechoslovakia, based on two storylines: one depicting the life of Agnieszka Holland during her studies in Prague towards the end of the 1960’s, her friends, her participation in a student strike and her arrest for supporting the dissident movement and anti-state tendencies, and the second one - following her return there.

The Return of Agnieszka H.

2014

The Trial: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov poster
3.4

August 2015, a courtroom in Rostov-on-Don. A man is peering through the bars of his cage, his eyes reveal that his nerves are about to snap. Today he will be handed down a sentence to which he must submit: 20 years’ imprisonment in Siberia for terrorism. The man is Oleg Sentsov, a film director and Maidan activist born in Simferopol in the Ukraine. He is charged with leading an anti-Russian terrorist movement and having planned attacks on bridges, power lines and a monument of Lenin. Sentsov defends himself, courageously and without flinching. He responds to the verdict with an emphatic denial of his crimes and instead accuses the accusers themselves ...

The Trial: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov

2017

No artwork available
NR

In the documentary Magdalena Łazarkiewicz used a lot of archive material with her husband, who talks about his professional path and his true fascination with cinema.

(Dis)appearance

2016

Solidarność: How Solidarity Changed Europe poster
7.0

Gdańsk, Poland, September 1980. Lech Wałęsa and other Lenin shipyard workers found Solidarność (Solidarity), the first independent trade union behind the Iron Curtain. The long and hard battle to bring down communist dictatorship has begun.

Solidarność: How Solidarity Changed Europe

2019

No artwork available
NR

A biographical documentary on Edward Zebrowski, a director, screenwriter, and educator. The film draws from his notes, revealing his thoughts on illness and history as human fate. Friends from the Film School in Lodz and the TOR Film Group, including Wojciech Marczewski and Agnieszka Holland, discuss his legendary status as a scandalmonger and thinker. His wives, Barbara Lisowska and Magdalena Jaworska, share intimate details of his life. Students Agnieszka Smoczynska and Adrian Panek speak respectfully of him. Zebrowski’s biography is complemented by excerpts from his school works and original films, with scenes featuring him in Zanussi’s films like “The Illumination.” Directed by Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, the documentary captures a reflective and nostalgic atmosphere, reflecting Zebrowski’s mature life and sense of lost opportunities.

Notes on Life. Edward Zebrowski

2017

Wave vs. Shore poster
NR

Martin Štrba’s inventive documentary tells the remarkable story of a group of Slovak photographers whose groundbreaking work challenged Communist orthodoxy in the 1980ss.

Wave vs. Shore

2014

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Jánošík (Vykrádaný superhrdina)

2010

CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel poster
6.5

An epic exploration of the Czechoslovak New Wave cinema of the 1960s and 70s, structured around a series of conversations with one of its most acclaimed exponents - Closely Observed Trains director Jiří Menzel.

CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel

2018

2000s · 2 titles

1970s · 5 titles

Series credits

Behind the camera

Mr. Jones poster
6.7

In 1933, Welsh journalist Gareth Jones travels to Ukraine, where he experiences the horrors of a famine. Everywhere he goes he meets henchmen of the Soviet secret service who are determined to prevent news about the catastrophe from getting out. Stalin’s forced collectivisation of agriculture has resulted in misery and ruin—the policy is tantamount to mass murder.

Mr. Jones

2019

Spoor poster
6.1

A story about Janina Duszejko, an elderly woman, who lives alone in the Klodzko Valley where a series of mysterious crimes are committed. Duszejko is convinced that she knows who (or what) is the murderer, but nobody believes her.

Spoor

2017

Spoor poster
6.1

A story about Janina Duszejko, an elderly woman, who lives alone in the Klodzko Valley where a series of mysterious crimes are committed. Duszejko is convinced that she knows who (or what) is the murderer, but nobody believes her.

Spoor

2017

In Darkness poster
6.9

A dramatization of one man's rescue of Jewish refugees in the Nazi-occupied city of Lviv. In Darkness tells the true story of Leopold Soha who risks his own life to save a dozen people from certain death. Initially only interested in his own good, the thief and burglar hides Jewish refugees for 14 months in the sewers of the Nazi-occupied town of Lviv (formerly Poland).

In Darkness

2011

The Secret Garden poster
7.4

A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.

The Secret Garden

1993

Total Eclipse poster
6.4

Young, wild poet Arthur Rimbaud and his mentor Paul Verlaine engage in a fierce, forbidden romance while feeling the effects of a hellish artistic lifestyle.

Total Eclipse

1995

Green Border poster
7.4

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

Green Border

2023

Green Border poster
7.4

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

Green Border

2023

Green Border poster
7.4

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

Green Border

2023

Danton poster
6.9

Danton and Robespierre were close friends and fought together in the French Revolution, but by 1793 Robespierre was France's ruler, determined to wipe out opposition with a series of mass executions that became known as the Reign of Terror. Danton, well known as a spokesman of the people, had been living in relative solitude in the French countryside, but he returned to Paris to challenge Robespierre's violent rule and call for the people to demand their rights. Robespierre, however, could not accept such a challenge, even from a friend and colleague, and he blocked out a plan for the capture and execution of Danton and his allies.

Danton

1983

Franz poster
6.2

Conceived as a kaleidoscopic mosaic, the film follows the imprint Franz Kafka left on the world from his birth in 19th-century Prague to his death in post-WW1 Vienna.

Franz

2025

Franz poster
6.2

Conceived as a kaleidoscopic mosaic, the film follows the imprint Franz Kafka left on the world from his birth in 19th-century Prague to his death in post-WW1 Vienna.

Franz

2025

Europa Europa poster
7.2

A Jewish boy separated from his family in the early days of WWII poses as a German orphan and is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually becomes a Hitler Youth.

Europa Europa

1990

Europa Europa poster
7.2

A Jewish boy separated from his family in the early days of WWII poses as a German orphan and is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually becomes a Hitler Youth.

Europa Europa

1990

To Kill a Priest poster
6.2

A young priest speaks out against the Communist regime in Poland and is killed for it.

To Kill a Priest

1988

To Kill a Priest poster
6.2

A young priest speaks out against the Communist regime in Poland and is killed for it.

To Kill a Priest

1988

Copying Beethoven poster
6.5

Serving as Ludwig van Beethoven's copyist gives a conservatory student access to the composer's musical genius, but also exposes her to his cruelty.

Copying Beethoven

2006

Charlatan poster
6.7

Born in the early 20th century, herbalist Jan Mikolasek became rich and famous after curing countless diseases with unorthodox means. A true emblem of Czechoslovakia before World War II, the healer became even more appreciated during the Nazi occupation and the communist regime. Each regime appreciates his skill and protects him. But how much will it cost him to maintain his status in a new political change?

Charlatan

2020

Washington Square poster
6.2

In 1870s New York, spinster heiress Catherine Sloper is courted by the much younger, penniless Morris Townsend, much to the chagrin of her overprotective father. Catherine must decide whether to spend the rest of her life alone, or marry a man interested in her solely for her inheritence.

Washington Square

1997

The Third Miracle poster
5.9

The Vatican sends a priest to verify some miracles, performed by a woman who has been nominated for sainthood...

The Third Miracle

1999

Screen Tests poster
6.1

Three-part film centered around a film being made by a group of young directors. In the first a working-class girl finishes school and has her first love affair, which ends badly. In the second a provincial boy with dreams of life in the theater has an affair with his boss' wife. They meet during the film's screen tests.

Screen Tests

1977

Screen Tests poster
6.1

Three-part film centered around a film being made by a group of young directors. In the first a working-class girl finishes school and has her first love affair, which ends badly. In the second a provincial boy with dreams of life in the theater has an affair with his boss' wife. They meet during the film's screen tests.

Screen Tests

1977

The Possessed poster
5.6

Russia, 1870. A group of young anarchist revolutionaries set out to overthrow the Czarist regime through violence. Their attacks create a climate of psychosis and mutual distrust among the population, but in reality, both revolutionaries and repressors are being manipulated by a diabolical individual.

The Possessed

1988

Shot in the Heart poster
6.0

The story of a man coming to terms with the sins and secrets of his notorious brother and, in the process, exploring the legacy of violence in his own family.

Shot in the Heart

2001

A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story poster
5.2

The story of Gwen Araujo, a transgender teen who was murdered in California in 2002.

A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story

2006

Anna poster
5.5

Czech refugee Krystyna travels to New York in search of her actress idol and fellow expatriate, Anna. After her own arrival in the Big Apple, Anna finds that celebrity often doesn't travel well, and she must go through a battery of humiliating auditions to try and get work in her adopted land. But when Krystyna and Anna finally meet, they provide a support structure for each other.

Anna

1987

A Love in Germany poster
5.5

In May of 1983, a man turns 49 and, with his 17-year old son, journeys to the village in Baden that he left 40 years before. He wants to discover what happened then, the truth about an affair his mother had with a young Polish prisoner of war, how the authorities came to learn of it, the lovers' arrest, and the aftermath. While his son takes Polaroid photographs, he retraces the steps of his childhood and interviews those who should remember. The story is disclosed in flashbacks that focus on the lovers (Paulina and Stanislaus), on a jealous and conniving neighbor, and on Mayer, the local SS commander who wants to find a way out of inevitable consequences.

A Love in Germany

1983

Janosik poster
4.1

The story of Janosik, a legendary "Central European Robin Hood", based on real XVIII century documents and a romantic legend. Young Janosik, burnt out by war experiences and disappointment in love, joins a team of brigands. Soon after he becomes the troop's leader and is recognized as a brave and honorable commander, he never kills anyone he robs. Along with the fame he starts enjoying popularity among women. But Janosik's success raises jealousy in one of the troop's members, greedy and brutal Huncaga.

Janosik

2009

Angry Harvest poster
6.2

In the winter of 1942-43, a Jewish family leaps from a train going through Silesia. They are separated in the woods, and Leon, a local peasant who's now a farmer of some wealth, discovers the woman, Rosa, and hides her in his cellar. Leon's a middle-aged Catholic bachelor, tormented by his sexual drive. He doesn't tell Rosa he's seen signs her husband is alive, and he begs her to love him. Rosa offers herself to Leon if he'll help a local Jew in hiding who needs money. Leon pays, and love between Rosa and him does develop, but then Leon's peasant subservience and his limited empathy lead to tragedy. At the war's end, a ray of sunshine comes from an unexpected place.

Angry Harvest

1985

Angry Harvest poster
6.2

In the winter of 1942-43, a Jewish family leaps from a train going through Silesia. They are separated in the woods, and Leon, a local peasant who's now a farmer of some wealth, discovers the woman, Rosa, and hides her in his cellar. Leon's a middle-aged Catholic bachelor, tormented by his sexual drive. He doesn't tell Rosa he's seen signs her husband is alive, and he begs her to love him. Rosa offers herself to Leon if he'll help a local Jew in hiding who needs money. Leon pays, and love between Rosa and him does develop, but then Leon's peasant subservience and his limited empathy lead to tragedy. At the war's end, a ray of sunshine comes from an unexpected place.

Angry Harvest

1985

No artwork available
NR

Follows German-American actress Marlene Dietrich across four decisive days in four different decades, portraying her in shifting cultural and political contexts: Paris in 1937, Bergen-Belsen in 1945, Tel Aviv in 1960, and once again Paris in 1983.

Berlinweh: Yearning for a Home

—

Julie Walking Home poster
5.6

Julie's son is dying of cancer and her marriage falling apart. She goes to Poland in search of a man who can heal using his hands. Julie finds not only a magical cure for her son, but also comes across a love so pure it begins to heal the aching in her heart.

Julie Walking Home

2002

Julie Walking Home poster
5.6

Julie's son is dying of cancer and her marriage falling apart. She goes to Poland in search of a man who can heal using his hands. Julie finds not only a magical cure for her son, but also comes across a love so pure it begins to heal the aching in her heart.

Julie Walking Home

2002

Without Anesthesia poster
6.8

A famous Polish journalist presents a problem for the powers-that-be when he displays his full political skill and knowledge on a television show featuring questions and answers on a world conference by a panel of journalists. His enemies take away his privileges when he is away. The shock of being "unwanted" parallels a deeper disappointment in his private life: his wife has an affair with a jealous young rival, and after 15 years of marriage and two daughters wants a divorce. She offers no explanations as he tries to untie these problems himself. All the moves he makes are the wrong ones. He takes on drinking heavily with students eager to attend his seminar after discovering the class has been canceled. The journalist, once suave and commanding, is reduced to silence.

Without Anesthesia

1978

Olivier, Olivier poster
6.3

Olivier, the nine-year-old son of Elisabeth and Serge, a country veterinarian, vanishes one afternoon on the way to his grandmother's house. The emotional aftermath of his disappearance sends his father packing and nearly destroys his mother.

Olivier, Olivier

1992

Olivier, Olivier poster
6.3

Olivier, the nine-year-old son of Elisabeth and Serge, a country veterinarian, vanishes one afternoon on the way to his grandmother's house. The emotional aftermath of his disappearance sends his father packing and nearly destroys his mother.

Olivier, Olivier

1992

Mężczyzna niepotrzebny! poster
8.0

Małgosia, a medical student, is expecting a child with Paweł, a doctor at the clinic. She is unsure whether to terminate the pregnancy. Her older sister, Ewa, urges her to do so. Ewa was once Paweł's lover. She terminated her pregnancy and is now unable to have children.

Mężczyzna niepotrzebny!

1982

Korczak poster
7.1

The story of Polish pedagogue Janusz Korczak and his dedication to protecting Jewish orphans during the war.

Korczak

1990

The Offsiders poster
7.3

Under the leadership of an ex-footballer, a bunch of homeless men set up a football team and train hard to take part in the world championship.

The Offsiders

2008

A Woman Alone poster
6.6

Irena, a postal delivery worker, is struggling with inadequate housing, a drunk neighbor who wants to take her place, and a heartless boss, knowing that the whole day at work, she is leaving her young son. But the worst is the loneliness, exacerbated by her single mother status. She meets a crippled pensioner Jacek, who appears to be the key to her happiness, but tragedy continues to strike.

A Woman Alone

1987