Highlanders Wedding (1961) – English language 16mm premiere!

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.

“Highlanders Wedding” was screened only a handful of times in Chicago in the 1960s,
exclusively within the Highlander community. Recently, the original reels were
discovered in a private collection. In 2025, with support from the National Film
Preservation Foundation, the film was digitized in 4K and a new 16mm print was struck.
The May 15 screening will mark the premiere of the new 16mm print, presented with live
English subtitles – the first, and possibly only, opportunity to see this film in
English! (Ludwina Ról-Łuszczkowa, Antonina Błazończyk & George DeBelina, USA,
1961, 88 minutes, 16mm)

Presented in partnership with Chicago Film Archives, the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America, and Agata Zborowska’s Not-So-Ordinary project, with support from the Department of Slavic Languages & Literature and the Department of History.
The screening of “Highlanders Wedding” will be followed by a reception. This event is
free and open to the public. Doors will open thirty minutes prior to showtime.

May 15, 2026 7:00pm

Logan Center for the Arts screening room (Rm 201)
915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637

Free admission and free parking at the University of Chicago

Contact
Agata Zborowska
azborowska@uchicago.edu
(872) 300-3459
Event website
https://filmstudiescenter.uchicago.edu/event/highlanders-wedding