Cold War

Poland, 1949. Musician Wiktor is helping to establish a folk music ensemble when he meets the charismatic young singer Zula. Despite their different backgrounds and temperaments, an intense relationship begins. But as the ensemble is increasingly drawn into the service of Stalinist propaganda, Wiktor decides to escape to the West—and Zula does not follow. Over the following years, their paths repeatedly cross in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris. Separation brings new relationships and new lives, yet neither seems able to leave the other behind. Music accompanies their changing world, moving from Polish folk songs to jazz and rock'n'roll as their turbulent relationship unfolds between East and West. Shot in luminous black and white, COLD WAR was partly inspired by the relationship of director Paweł Pawlikowski's parents. The film premiered in Competition at Cannes 2018, where Pawlikowski won Best Director, and later received three Academy Award nominations.