27/02/2009

Today sees the highly-anticipated domestic release of Rafal Wieczynski’s Polpieluszko. Wolnosc jest w nas [+see also:
trailer
film profile] ("Popieluszko: Freedom Is Within Us"). The film retraces the story of the chaplain of legendary anti-communist movement Solidarność (Solidarity), who was brutally murdered in October 1984 by three Polish Security Service officers.

Born in 1947 in a small village in eastern Poland, Jerzy Popieluszko (played by Adam Woronowicz) served as a priest in several Warsaw parishes and gained renown as a supporter of the Solidarity movement.

He co-organised church masses for the Polish people, which were celebrated once a month in Warsaw and attracted thousands of worshippers from across the country. Committed to the promotion of freedom and democracy, he was considered a great speaker and an authority on spiritual matters by students, nurses and workers.

In 1984, at the age of 37, he was abducted by three state officials who tortured then murdered him. After searches lasting several days, his body was found in a lake in central Poland. Over 500,000 people attended his funeral.

Wieczynski’s feature tells Popieluszko’s story from his childhood to his tragic death. The director said: "My aim was to bear witness to his life. From the outset, we wanted to avoid inventing details. Thanks to the enormous quantity of information that we gathered about our hero, I hope we’ve succeeded in creating an accurate representation of him as a courageous and honest individual, who was full of goodwill and never turned people away, whilst having rigorous expectations of them."

It took several years to get the project off the ground. Over 7,000 actors and extras took part in the seven-month shoot, which took place in 14 Polish cities.

Produced by Focus Producers in co-production with IF Max-Film, Polpieluszko was made for around €3m, with backing from the PISF (Polish Film Institute) and the Mazovia region. Domestic distribution is being handled by Kino Swiat.

(Translated from French)