A film show and a UNIgreen-themed discussion at the University of Warsaw Library

On Thursday evening, 29 May 2025, the University of Warsaw Library auditorium hosted a documentary film dedicated to Simona Kossak, an exceptional Polish scientist, the first Polish ecologist and activist who devoted her life to the Białowieża Forest. The film attracted a large audience of students, scientists and nature lovers.

The film, partly based on unique material from the archives of Simona Kossak and her partner Lech Wilczek, showed not only the researcher’s everyday life in the heart of the forest, but also her courage in fighting for animal rights and wildlife at a time when ecology was considered a marginal field of science.

The film was followed by a debate with experts, moderated by Anna Serdiukow. The participants included:

Anna Gutowska from the Documentary and Feature Film Studio,

Dr Aleksandra Jakóbczyk-Gola from the University of Warsaw,

Dr Wojciech Kędziora, forestry expert from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and coordinator of the UNIgreen Joint Research Centre (JRC).

Dr Kędziora’s speech provided an international and academic perspective, referring to the role that contemporary scientific institutions can (and should) play in environmental protection.

He pointed out how Simona Kossak’s legacy shows that an unequal fight can help change how people see nature and influence our research, making it more empathetic and mindful of nature’s well-being.

During the discussion, the question arose: Is it possible nowadays to live according to the values that motivated Kossak? The answers were unclear, but the common ground was a thought about human responsibility concerning nature and the importance of environmental education, particularly at the university level, including such initiatives as UNIgreen.

The event ended with a lively discussion between the audience and informal conversations in the lobby, proving that the topics raised in the film and the debate are particularly relevant today.