I was especially saddened to hear of the death of the great Polish director Andrzej Wajda (Obituary, 11 October; Editorial, 11 October).

As a teenager, I had pretty typical young tastes in film – cowboys, space, war etc. Then one night, for reasons that escape me, I stayed up to watch Kanał, the second film of Wajda’s war trilogy, shown on the BBC in the days when it still showed such things.

To say I was blown away is an understatement. The film opened my eyes to what film could be, and how it could show the world as it really is, not just a fantasy adventure.

So thank you, Andrzej, for introducing me to a world of film that has stayed with me to this day.

Tony Fletcher

Neath, West Glamorgan

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