As a special guest of the 40th Gdynia Film Festival, Omar Sangare will take part in a screening of “Aktorka,” a documentary about the life and legacy of the Polish actress Elżbieta Czyżewska. The film features interviews with Sangare, along with Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda; Annette Insdorf, a professor at Columbia University; renowned playwright John Guare; and Meryl Streep. Interviewees share their reflections on working with Czyżewska and discuss her charismatic personality, both on stage and in films. The documentary offers a fascinating, dynamic, often controversial portrait of the artist, spanning her works in Poland as well as the United States. Omar Sangare performed with Elżbieta Czyżewska in the Polish premiere of “Six Degrees of Separation,” presented at the Teatr Dramatyczny in Warsaw. In the documentary, Sangare talks about their rehearsal process, performances, and their friendship over the years. The film also introduces the play “Three Kinds of Exile,” in which Sangare played a part written especially for him by John Guare. The play, produced by Atlantic Theatre Company in Manhattan, brought together John Guare and Omar Sangare in a two-actor tribute to the life of their mutual friend, Elżbieta Czyżewska. The Gdynia Film Festival takes place between September 14-19, 2015 in Poland, and is one of Europe’s major film events, hosting national and international guests. It is extensively covered in the press, with national live telecast and reports from the location. Festival audiences will have a chance to enjoy a program that includes the special screening, retrospectives, independent cinema, lectures, workshops, concerts, exhibitions, and Q&A sessions with artists after film presentations. Gdynia Film Festival |