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ADAM MICHNIK: BE A REALIST, STRIVE FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE

POLISH TITLE: ADAM MICHNIK: BĄDŹ REALISTĄ, CHCIEJ NIEMOŻLIWEGO

This proposal concerns a documentary film about Adam Michnik, one of the most interesting figures of Poland’s political life. He is a legend of the opposition, a drive behind the Round Table Talks and the founder of Gazeta Wyborcza, a popular Polish daily, an essayist and a person evoking extreme emotions including liking as well as antipathy. He has always stirred extreme emotions, both negative and positive. He has many followers and avowed enemies. Famous poets have dedicated their poems to him and for many he is an unquestionable guru. When he appears on TV, viewership ratings invariably go up. Why such an amplitude of opinions? In his book “Między Panem a Plebanem”, the eminent Polish priest and philosopher Józef Tischner wrote about him in this way: “Adam is a challenge because he violates some kind of a code, some kind of habits. What is more, under martial law, by fate, he was elevated to a very high position while his most ardent adversaries had to remain silent. Such were the circumstances. Now, they would like to make up for it, so they are working their way up using the association with him.

What is the phenomenon of Adam Michnik? The film is attempting to answer this question.

 

 

GENRE:
documentary
COUNTRY:
Poland
RUNNING TIME:
90'
YEAR:
DIRECTING:
Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz
SCRIPT:
Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz
DOP:
Michał Stajniak
EDITOR:
Grażyna Gradoń
PRODUCTION:
Studio Filmowe LARGO

Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz »

Director of several dozen documentaries and TV theatre plays who has won numerous awards. She graduated from Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław and from Film Directing at the Faculty of Radio and Television at the University of Silesia. The documentaries "I Am a Man" (1986) and "The Office" (1986) won her renown, in particular the latter one was showered with awards. For years, she has created film portraits of famous Poles, including Leszek Kołakowski, Czesław Miłosz and Jerzy Grotowski. Among her other well-known documentaries were: "Gdańsk Railway Station" (2008) and the biographical documentary "Wiera Gran" (2011). She is a lecturer at the Directing Department of the Film School in Łódź.