The DePaul University Art Museum will host the Chicago premiere screening of “Freedom on the Fence,” a film documenting the brilliant and paradoxical art of Polish poster design, starting with a reception at 5 p.m. July 28 at the DePaul University Art Museum, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago.

Zygmunt Matynia, consul general of the Republic of Poland, and Martin Rosenberg, executive producer of “Freedom on the Fence,” will attend the reception and screening. The reception runs from 5 to 7 p.m., and the film will be screened at 6 p.m.; a selection of Polish posters from the museum’s collection also will be on view.

The 40-minute film explores the history of Polish posters and details their changing significance in the social, political and cultural life of the country from World War II through the fall of Communism.

These colorful and powerful posters announcing political, cultural and social events hung from the many construction fences erected in Warsaw and other cities in Poland following World War II, infusing the gray streets with color and transforming the streets into a public art gallery. “Freedom on the Fence” examines how artists working under political restrictions developed a distinctive approach to graphic design, infused with charm, irony and inventiveness.

The digital documentary weaves together interviews (in English and in Polish with English subtitles) with many leading Polish poster artists, including a rare interview with the undisputed father of the movement, Henryk Tomaszweski, and commentaries from both American and Polish scholars on the significance of the Polish poster as a cultural icon.

Rosenberg is among the world’s foremost collectors and authorities on vintage Polish posters. He has spent more than 25 years building the most complete pre- and post-war collection of original posters representing the internationally recognized Polish School of Design, and he has made generous donations to DePaul’s art collection.

Others involved in making the documentary include Andrea Marks, producer/director; Glenn Holsten, director; Jeffry Hino, director of photography (Poland); Christopher Landy, director of photography (USA); and Michael Coolen, musical score. For more information about the film, visit the project Web site at oregonstate.edu/freedomonthefence.

For more information about the film screening or other museum programs and exhibitions, please call (773) 325-7506 or visit http://museums.depaul.edu/artwebsite/.