The first screening of the restored film “Highlanders Wedding” (Góralskie Wesele, 1961)
March 21, 2026, 6:30 PM, Highlanders House (Dom Podhalan), Chicago, 4808 S Archer Ave.
The film “Highlanders Wedding” was originally recorded in 1961 by the Polish Highlanders community in Chicago at Pulaski Village, run by Antonina Błazończyk. It constitutes one of the earliest color and sound recordings of a traditional Highlander wedding, staged by the Tatra Highlanders’ Dramatic Circle affiliated with the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America.
After many years, the film was rediscovered in the private archive of Andrzej Szwajnos-Twardy, with the assistance of Władysław Mrowca and Danuta Leśniak. A grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation, secured by Agata Zborowska in collaboration with the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America, made possible the conservation of the film, its digitization, and the production of a new 16mm film print.
The screening on March 21, 2026 marked the first ceremonial presentation of the restored film. In collaboration with the Chicago Film Society, the film was projected as in the past—directly from a 16mm print—recreating the atmosphere of historical film screenings and allowing audiences to experience the film as it had been viewed over sixty years earlier.
Special guests of the evening included the Kowalkowski sisters (Hania and Aniela) and Władysław Tylka, all of whom appear in the film.
Program
• Screening of a selection of unique amateur and home movies recorded on 8mm and 16mm film within Chicago’s Polish Highlanders community between 1948 and 1980, including materials from the collections of Michał Cieśla, Andrzej Wróbel, the Błazończyk family, the Bińskowski family, the Działowy family, and the collections of Bob Smith and Mary Zuber-Smith. The silent films were accompanied live by Marek Bukowski’s ensemble. The digitization of the presented amateur and home movies was made possible through the support of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, the Chicago Film Archives, and the Al Larvick Conservation Fund.
• Screening of “Highlanders Wedding” (88 minutes).
