A discussion with director Pawel Pawlikowski is moderated by Raj Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film at The Museum of Modern Art. Academy Award winner Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida), returns with an intricate love story infused with music and geopolitical peril. Spanning the late 1940's and early 1960's, and fluctuating between Eastern and Western Europe, the story of Wiktor and Zula (played with hypnotic intensity by Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig) plays like a cold-war era jazz-score. In rich tones of black and white, zigging from passion to desperation, the film brings new vibrancy to the age old cinematic conundrum: What would you do for love? Pawlikowski was named Best Director at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for Cold War, which is said to be based on his parent's own story. The conversation was part of MoMA Contenders, The Museum of Modern Art’s renowned series of influential, innovative films from the past 12 months. Whether bound for awards glory or cult classic status, each of these films is a contender for lasting historical significance.