Polish biopic Walesa. Man of Hope has been submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Walesa. Man of Hope debuted at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month and went on to screen at Toronto. It will next be shown at film festivals in Rio, Chicago and London.

The film is a depiction of the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa, as events in the 1970s lead to a peaceful revolution.

The role of Wałęsa was played by Robert Więckiewicz. The film also stars Agnieszka Grochowska (Danuta Wałęsa), Maria Rosaria Omaggio (Oriana Fallaci) . Cinematography was handled by Paweł Edelman.

The film was produced by Akson Studio, and co-produced by Telewizja Polska SA – Film Agency, Telekomunikacja Polska, Canal+ Poland, Narodowe Centrum Kultury. The film received financial support from the Polish Film Institute.

The Polish Oscar Committee that chose the film was launched on June 17 by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski. Members included Waldemar Krzystek, Andrzej Bart, Marek Hendrykowski, Barbara Hollender, Izabela Kiszka-Hoflik, Bartosz Konopka, Arthur Reinhart and Agnieszka Odorowicz.

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