The Illumination

One of the essential films in the series, The Illumination follows a young man who moves from a provincial town to the city in order to study physics, hoping that science can answer his questions. With adventurous filmmaking and unusually incisive content, the film grounds the biggest questions of life within a specific social and political context. With the success of this masterpiece, Zanussi’s career blossomed into one of international renown, proving that philosophy could be translated into successful cinema. (93 mins., DCP)

Organized by Propaganda Foundation, DI Factory, and Cyfrowe Repozytorium Filmowe, Warsaw, and The Film Foundation, New York and Los Angeles; in cooperation with Milestone Film and Video, New Jersey, and Studio Filmowe Tor, Zebra Studio Filmowe, and Studio Filmowe KADR, Warsaw; and with the support of The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, Polish Film Institute, and National Audiovisual Institute, Warsaw.

Cosponsored by Ohio State’s Department of Slavic and Eastern European Languages and Cultures and its Polish Studies Initiative, the Polish American Club, and the Ohio State Polish Club.