Frauen der ersten Stunde. Der Kampf um Frauenrechte in Polen und Berlin: Filmscreening und Gespräch bei BERLIN GLOBAL

In the organizer's words:

In their docudrama "Women of the First Hour" (2018), filmmakers Marta Dzido and Piotr Śliwowski look at the Polish suffragettes' successful fight for women's suffrage at the end of the 19th century. With this film screening, BERLIN GLOBAL invites you to pay tribute to this major step and at the same time talk about continuities and the power of networked activism.

Be it abortion rights, equal pay or the fight against violence against women: The global struggles for equal rights and freedom for women are far from over. A milestone in Poland and Germany was the hard-fought battle for women's suffrage, which was won in 1918.

About the film

The documentary feature film "Women of the First Hour" traces the careers of real people Kazimiera Bujwidowa, Maria Dulębianka, Zofia Nałkowska and Paulina Kuczalska.

In the 1880s, Bujwidowa campaigned for women to be allowed to attend Warsaw University. Maria Dulębianka is considered the first female candidate for the Polish parliament. The writer Nałkowska called for gender equality and Paulina Kuczalska, the "Pope of feminism", also campaigned for equal rights for men and women.

Dzido and Ṥliwowski have created a film that traces the struggle of Polish women for their rights - at a time before Poland appeared on the map as an independent nation. At the same time, this struggle did not take place in isolation, but in a transnational exchange, especially with activists in Germany.

Discussion and exchange

After the film screening, we invite you to a moderated discussion with Marta Dzido, Piotr Ṥliwowski, Anna Krenz and the audience. The focus will be on questions about lessons and continuities: What is the significance of the internationally networked work of the suffragettes today? What can we learn from our great-grandmothers? Where are the current fronts in the fight for women's rights in Poland and Germany, and what role does Polish-German solidarity play in this? The cultural scientist, activist and author Aleksandra Nowak will lead through the evening.

This event is part of the accompanying program of the open space "Freedom, Equality, Solidarność. Polish points of view in Berlin" by Ewa Maria Slaska, Anna Krenz and Jemek Jemowit.

The film will be shown in the original Polish language with German subtitles. The subsequent discussion will be held in English with simultaneous translation into German.

"Women of the First Hour" is a film by Marta Dzido (director) and Piotr Ṥliwowski (producer) with Maria Seweryn, Klara Bielawka, Marta Ojrzyńska, Katarzyna Wala and others. Duration: 70 minutes

Participants

Marta Dzido, born in 1981, is a Polish writer, documentary filmmaker and film editor. Dzido has worked as a director and cameraperson on a number of documentaries, including the award-winning films "Downtown" (2010) and "The Women of Solidarność" (2014). The docudrama "Women of the First Hour" followed in 2018. Dzido is the author of several novels and the non-fiction book "Kobiety Solidarności" (roughly: "Women of Solidarnosc"). She was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature for her novel "Frajda" (2018).

Piotr Śliwowski, born in 1972, is a Polish documentary filmmaker, film director and producer. Between 2005 and 2013, he co-founded the Polish cultural TV channel TVP Kultura as an author of reports, TV documentaries and editor of TV programs. As co-director and producer, he made a series of documentaries together with Marta Dzido, including "Downtown" (2010), "The Women of Solidarność" (2014) and "Women of the First Hour" (2018). Śliwowski has received several awards for his cinematic achievements.

Born in 1976 in Poznań, Poland, the artist, architect, author and activist Anna Krenz has lived in Berlin since 2003. She is the founder of the collective Dziewuchy Berlin and the association Ambasada Polek e.V. She has been working with the Danish Renewable Energy Center - Folkecenter for Renewable Energy on sustainable development projects since 2001. Anna Krenz is part of the women's project studio Sinus_3, which combines architecture, ecology, visual arts and public space design. From 2003 to 2012 she was co-director of the ZERO gallery in Berlin. Together with Ewa Maria Slaska and Jemek Jemowit, she conceived and realized the open space "Freedom, Equality, Solidarność" at BERLIN GLOBAL.

Aleksandra Nowak is a journalist, writer, cultural scientist and activist. Nowak is the (co-)author of several books, including the volume "Dziwki, zdziry, szmaty. Opowieści o slut-shamingu" (about "Whores, sluts, rags: stories about slut-shaming"). In 2024 Nowak published the essay collection "Wyp***dalać! Historia kobiecego gniewu" (roughly "Fuck off! The story of women's rage"). She is a co-founder and editor of the feminist magazine "G'rls ROOM" and of the Adelfi Space project, where she organizes events for women in Berlin. She has been connected to Warsaw for many years and now lives and works in Berlin.

- 5 EUR, reduced 3 EUR

- Film: Polish with German subtitles

- from 12 years06th grade

- Berlin Exhibition, 1st floor, Room 5 Berlin Room

- Belongs to: Freedom, Equality, Solidarity, BERLIN GLOBAL