In Limited Edition: The First Decade of the Film Discussion Clubs Movement in Poland, 1955–64

abstract: Film societies—or rather, film discussion clubs, as they used to be called in Poland—have come to represent one of the most mythologized elements of history in Polish film culture. Drawing primarily on newsletters of individual film clubs, as well as the official bulletin of the film club's federation, the article elaborates on specific roles that film clubs played within Poland's broader film culture, particularly against the backdrop of state-controlled film distribution. The first section of this article discusses the beginnings of the film club movement in Poland during the political thaw. Next, the programming policy of film clubs, including diverse sources of films, is thoroughly analyzed. The focus of the final section is the crisis in 1961–64 that affected the clubs at the end of the first decade of their existence.