Daniel Olbrychski’s Jury Ban at Gdynia Film Festival Lifted

Actor Daniel Olbrychski said he was blocked from serving on the jury of the Gdynia Film Festival after he criticized former culture minister Hanna Wróblewska. He claimed the decision was made by Ministry of Culture director Maciej Dydo, who told him there was no way he could be a juror because of his remarks. Olbrychski compared the experience to “the darkest times of totalitarian systems” and sent a handwritten letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, citing a similar letter he once wrote to General Jaruzelski.

Following the publication of his interview, the Prime Minister’s chancellery intervened. Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka confirmed that the ban was withdrawn, allowing Olbrychski to take up the jury seat that had been offered by the new president of the Polish Filmmakers Association, Grzegorz Łoszewski.