The Polish Heritage Association of Maryland (PHAM) announces a hybrid event to discuss the controversial 2023 animated film for adults titled The Peasants, on Saturday March 22 from 1 until 4 pm, by Zoom and at the Towson Unitarian Universalist Church (TUUC). Called “a towering achievement of animation by one critic and “a disappointingly conventional animation” by another, this film prompts extremely strong opinions in viewers. We invite you and your associates to add your voices to theirs at this program!

The Peasants tells the tale of “a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village.” It is the story of the novel of the same name by Wladyslaw Reymont, who won the Nobel Prize for it in 1924. The Peasants is an award-winning film by the same team that produced the 2017 Oscar-nominated animation called Loving Vincent, about artist Vincent Van Gogh, and it uses many of the same animation techniques.

This will be a hybrid event, so that people can attend in person or virtually via Zoom. To participate in person, please visit TUUC at 1710 Dulaney Valley Road, Lutherville MD 21093, where there is free parking on their lot. For virtual participation, the Zoom link will be sent upon registration. Registration is required of all attendees, now available at https://ticketscandy.com/e/the-peasants-film-discussion-of-a-visual-masterpiece-8189. While this event is free to attend, we do request at-will donations in suggested minimum amounts of $12.00 for adults or $8.00 for students and senior citizens.

To begin, three experts will Zoom in to present about the film and the novel upon which it is based. We are very excited to feature them! After the presentations, participants may ask questions. Questions will be accepted at the event, and they can be submitted in advance by email, to RecordingSecretaryPHAM@gmail.com. The hybrid question-and-answer session will be followed by hybrid discussion of the film. The program will close with time for in-person socializing and light refreshments.

If you have not yet seen this R-rated film, or if you would like a refresher, The Peasants is now available through several online video streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play, Netflix, and YouTube. We highly recommend that you see it before attending the discussion. We hope to see you then!