As a director and Hollywood producer, Prince Michał Waszyński made over 40 films and worked with major movie stars including Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale, and Orson Welles. But his most spectacular creation was his own life. Who was this mysterious filmmaker, this human chameleon who continually changed his identity? A golden boy of cinema, a cunning fraud, or a man who couldn’t distinguish between the illusion of film and reality? Awarded Best Documentary on Cinema at the 2017 Venice Biennale, The Prince and the Dybbuk traces Waszyński’s footsteps from Poland, Ukraine, and the US into Italy, Israel, and Spain. Directors Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski (Domino Effect) take us on a cinematic journey into the life of a man constantly changing names, religion, titles, and countries to write his own story as if it were a film.

Directors Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosolowski are currently in residence at the JBFC through the Creative Culture Artist Residency Program. They will join us for a Q&A moderated by JBFC Artist Programs Manager Arno Mokros to talk about the film and the projects they’re developing while in Pleasantville this summer.