1. Polish Migrants and Migrant Culture on the Screen Kris Van Heuckelom K.U.Leuven, Belgium kris@vanheuckelom.be

2. UK 2007

4. UK 1982

6. The Grass is Greener Everywhere Else Germany 1989

8. The Ballad of the Windscreen Washers Italy 1998

10. The Polish Bride The Netherlands 1998

12. Four Weeks in June Sweden 2004

13. UK 2007

15. Strong identification of labor migration and Polish ethnicity ”Labor migrants are (often) Poles” “Poles are (often) labor migrants”

16. Polish migrant culture on the screen?

23. Polish labor migrants as representatives of the uncivilized East? (euro-orientalism)

24. Six films, two categories The action takes place 1. during communism 2. after the fall of communism

25. First category 1. Polish main characters 2. Rare & unpleasant contacts with locals 3. Tragic elements

28. Second category 1. Polish & local main characters 2. “Interethnic ” love story 3. The newcomer ”helps” the locals and ”solves” their problems

35. The newcomers have ”potential” and have something to offer to the local community

36. Polish “impotence”

38. Romance YES Marriage NOT (YET)

39. Mixed marriages (the Hollywood way)

42. In the ”postcommunist” films the Polish characters fulfil a new narrative role: they solve problems instead of creating them.

43. The distance between locals and newcomers becomes smaller (but weddings take place in Hollywood only!)

44. The emotional lability of Polish characters has given way to emotional stability.

46. Polish Migrants and Migrant Culture on the Screen Kris Van Heuckelom K.U.Leuven, Belgium kris@vanheuckelom.be