The central motif may be an atomic mushroom cloud but the incorporation of text gives the design an almost strangely playful psychedelic feel, pre-dating designs from the late 1960s. 

This 1978 poster for the Polish release of Picnic at Hanging Rock (Piknik pod wiszacą skałą) has an ethereal quality that foreshadows the film's events.

The interpretation is folksy and bold. Danuta Bagińska-Andrejew captures the dreamlike mood of Peter Weir’s film. Rather than highlight the imminent dangers and eerie qualities of the Australian bushland, Miranda's portrait is rendered as a graceful, gothic vision. 

See more Polish Film Posters in the NFSA collection and read more about Polish film poster art.

The cult classic Wake in Fright really gets under your skin. It tells the harrowing story of a city slicker’s slow descent into madness while stranded in a small outback town called 'The Yabba'. 

A group of unruly locals lead him down a dark path where drunken benders, gambling and blood sports are the norm. In the US, the film was simply titled Outback, while the Czechs went with One-horse Town. 

The Polish translation, At the End of the World (Na Krańcu świata), best captures the story’s themes of despair and isolation. The poster, with artwork by Wiktor Górka, masterfully captures the terror depicted in this outback tale, illustrating grotesque faces of men inciting alcohol-fuelled violence.

See more Polish Film Posters in the NFSA collection and read more about Polish film poster art.

This chaotic poster for the Polish release of Krokodyl Dundee (Crocodile Dundee) shows a smiling Mick Dundee protecting a frightened girl from eight colourful crocodiles.

The artwork stands in stark contrast to the beloved Australian poster featuring a bronzed, leathery Paul Hogan (Mick Dundee). 

Andrzej Pągowski’s design for this one-sheet poster looks like it belongs to Crocodile Dundee: The Video Game. 

See more Polish Film Posters in the NFSA collection and read more about Polish film poster art.

This is a Polish one-sheet poster for Storm Boy (Chłopiec z burzy). The artwork by Eryk Lipiński represents the bonds of friendship between a boy and his pelican, depicting them as inseparable. 

Polish film poster artists weren’t constrained by Hollywood movie studios and were free to create designs inspired by the mood of a film.

Notes by Adam Blackshaw

This 1992 Polish quad poster for Picnic at Hanging Rock (Piknik pod wiszacą skałą) is folksy and bold. 

Wiktor Sadowski captures the dreamlike mood of Peter Weir’s film. Rather than highlight the imminent dangers and eerie qualities of the Australian bushland, Miranda's portrait is rendered as a graceful, gothic vision. 

See more Polish Film Posters in the NFSA collection and read more about Polish film poster art.

This Polish one-sheet poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) depicts the vibrant quirkiness of the film.

In this one-sheet poster for the Polish release of Brian Trenchard-Smith's Stunt Rock (1978) we have an amazing design for a unique film.

The film intercuts Grant Page's spectacular stunt work with the spellbinding theatrical rock music of the band Sorcery.

Trenchard-Smith has said that the idea for the film came to him in 1977 with the basic concept of: 'Famous stuntman meets famous rock group. Much stunt, much rock. The kids will go bananas.'

The poster has a bold design with the central figure forming a dynamic X figure across the image. The flaming film title only adds to the drama. Ultimately this simple design works to attract and hold the viewer's attention.