Werewolf. The War That Remains Inside You

Film display and debate | Tomasz Raczek, Marcin Szczygielski

The event is dedicated to the topic of trauma and post-trauma among children, who witnessed the horrors of World War II. How are their stories told in the movies and literature? We wish to inspire reflection on what remains inside us when the war comes to an end.

Important information

Open Events

Event date:09.10.2026 18:00
Place:Visitor Service Centre

The event is open to the public with a +16 y/o restriction.

The event will begin with a screening of the film Wilkołak (Werwolf), directed by Adrian Panek (2018). This poignant story follows a group of children who, having survived a concentration camp, are trying to start their lives afresh. They take refuge in an abandoned house in the middle of the forest. Just when it seems that the worst is behind them, it turns out that this seemingly safe space may harbour further dangers. Adrian Panek’s film shows that the end of the war does not mean the end of the fear that remains with people for a long time.

Following the screening, there will be a discussion with Tomasz Raczek and Marcin Szczygielski, focusing on how children’s wartime trauma is portrayed in film and literature. We will discuss how artists portray the experiences of the youngest, how art enables us to talk about things that are difficult to express, and how wartime experiences can shape the rest of a person’s life. The discussion will be moderated by Agnieszka Kowalczyk-Nowak, Museum Deputy Director for Audience and Communications.

Tomasz Raczek – theatre scholar (a graduate of the Faculty of Theatre Studies at the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw), film critic, advocate of cinema therapy, presenter of the RACZEK MOVIE programme on Radio Nowy Świat, and YouTuber – founder of the EKRAN TOMASZA RACZKA channel (over 137,000 subscribers). Publisher (Latarnik Publishing Institute) and author of over a dozen books on film and television, including: *Kinopassana, or the Art of Watching Films*, *A Pearl from the Attic* and *Screen in Powder Form*.

Co-creator of the legendary programme PERŁY Z LAMUSA, which he co-presented with Zygmunt Kałużyński on TVP2 for over a dozen years.

Winner of the Wiktor Award and awards for achievements in the field of art criticism: the Stanisław Wyspiański Award (1st class), the State Institute of Cinematography Award and the Polish Journalists’ Association Award. More recently, he has also won awards for his online achievements: KREATURA 2022 (for the podcast *THE ORIGINALS*) and the BEST STREAM AWARDS 2023 (for the channel *EKRAN TOMASZA RACZKA*). He holds the title of ‘Master of the Polish Language’.

Marcin Szczygielski – a writer, playwright and graphic artist, author of popular books for adults and critically acclaimed children’s novels. He is the recipient of numerous literary awards – including three-time winner of the Grand Prix at the Astrid Lindgren Literary Competition, four-time winner of the Book of the Year award in the IBBY competition, the City of Warsaw Literary Prize, the Kornel Makuszyński National Literary Prize, the Ferdynand Wspaniały Prize and the Hestia Literary Journey 2025 Prize; and in 2016 he was awarded the Gloria Artis Bronze Medal. His novels have been adapted for the screen on several occasions and have also been translated into over a dozen languages.