Pump up the Oompah! THE MAN WHO WOULD BE POLKA KING is an irreverent look at the rise and fall of Grammy-nominated polka music superstar Jan Lewan, whose defection from Poland to Pennsylvania led to fame, fortune and an international Polka Empire. But when Lewan's empire collapsed under a cloud of scandal, the polka world was stunned to learn of the greatest polka-related financial crime in history.

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LET'S POLKA

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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

JOHN MIKULAK
JOSHUA (VON) BROWN
YOUR HOST STAN TADROWSKI

Got something to say about the Polka King? Leave a comment or email us at polkakingmovie at gmail dot com.

FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

Bradford International Film Festival
(UK Premiere)
Saturday, March 20, 2:45 PM
Pictureville Cinema
Bradford, UK

Polish Film Festival in America
(Chicago Premiere)
Friday, November 20, 7:00 PM
Gallery Theatre, Society for Arts
Chicago, IL

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
(Arkansas Premiere)
Saturday, October 24, 6:00 PM
Malco Theater 1
Hot Springs, AR

Atlanta Underground Film Festival
(Atlanta Premiere)
Wednesday, August 26, 6:30 PM
Young Blood
Atlanta, GA

Brooklyn International Film Festival
(U.S. Premiere)
Saturday, June 6, 6:00 PM
Brooklyn Heights Cinema
Brooklyn, NY

Krakow Film Festival
(World Premiere)
Monday June 1, 8:00 PM
Kino Pod Baranami
Krakow, Poland

Boston Underground Film Festival
(sneak preview)
Saturday March 21, 12:30 PM
Kendall Square Cinema
Cambridge, MA

LINKS

24/7 Polka Heaven
Alt.Polkas
Ask Zosia
JoJo The Clown
International Polka Association
Jan Lewan
Jolly Joe Truszkowski
Lightning Videos
Nancy’s Place For Polkas
Odessa Klezmer
PA Pageants
Poland By Mail
Polish Embassy
The Post Eagle
Sam Son Prod. TV
The Vatican
WVIA



Posted 1 year ago on April 14 2009


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World Premiere to be announced soon!

Hello Polka King Fans…

We had a great sneak preview screening at the Boston Underground Film Festival in March, showing where we were at with the film. Post-screening, there was much debate in the audience about how much Jan Lewan knew about the dealings of his Polka Empire. What did he know and when did he know it?

In the coming days check back to our site as we will be announcing the details of our exciting World Premiere!


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Posted 1 year ago on March 20 2009


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Berkeley Beacon too

In advance of tomorrow’s sneak preview, Emerson College’s Berkeley Beacon previews our film.


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Posted:
1 year ago on March 20 2009

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Bad Lit highlights tomorrow’s sneak preview in Boston


The Man Who Would Be Polka King is Joshua von Brown’s triumphant return to BUFF after last year’s killer Altamont Nowwith this sneak preview of his co-directional effort with John Mikulak. The film tells the outrageous true story of Jan Lewan, a polkafied Mini-Me version of Bernie Madoff. I reviewed the film here and it’s screening March 21 at 12:30 p.m.

READ THE FULL POST ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER GREAT FILMS SCREENING AT BOSTON UNDERGROUND HERE!


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Posted 1 year ago on March 19 2009


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TRUST HIM?

TRUST HIM?


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Posted 1 year ago on March 18 2009


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A more somber Jan as his empire begins to crumble.

A more somber Jan as his empire begins to crumble.


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Posted 1 year ago on March 17 2009


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JAN in his pre-polka, Canadian lounge signer days

JAN in his pre-polka, Canadian lounge signer days


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Posted 1 year ago on March 12 2009


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JAN LEWAN signing his album cover for a fan, during the good times

JAN LEWAN signing his album cover for a fan, during the good times


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Posted 1 year ago on March 5 2009


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BUFF Sneak Preview Announced!

Dear Polka King fans,

Stan here again. We’re thrilled to announce a special sneak preview of our documentary THE MAN WHO WOULD BE POLKA KING at the Boston Underground Film Festival! Get a glimpse of where we are at with the project, and meet the film’s directors who will do a Q&A after the screening.

BUFF 2009 poster

Our special sneak preview screening will be on Saturday March 21 at 12:30 PM at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, MA.

Please visit the official Boston Underground Film Festival Website for more details…

Hope to see you there!

Yours in Polka,

Stan 

Greetings from Stan


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Posted 1 year ago on February 25 2009


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Bad Lit digs Polka King


“The Pope, Ponzi and polka form the incongruous triumvirate that swirls around the center of The Man Who Would Be Polka King, the deliriously entertaining documentary by John Mikulak and Joshua von Brown. However, the center of the film is not Jan Lewan, the eponymous ‘would be’ king. He’s just the engine that powers the real center: A heady, complex examination of the American dream gone wrong.”

—Excerpt from the just-posted review of our documentary on the awesome film website BadLit.com.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!


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Posted 1 year ago on January 30 2009


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JAN WITH FORMER PRESIDENT OF POLAND LECH WALESA

JAN WITH FORMER PRESIDENT OF POLAND LECH WALESA


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