Polish Oscar® Candidate

Robert Więckiewicz and Andrzej Wajda. Photo courtesy of Akson Studio

The annual Oscar® Selection Committee was established by Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski on July 17, 2013. Committee members Waldemar Krzystek (chairman), Andrzej Bart, Marek Hendrykowski, Barbara Hollender, Izabela Kiszka-Hoflik, Bartosz Konopka, Arthur Reinhart, and Agnieszka Odorowicz, selected Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei (Wałęsa. Man of Hope), directed by Andrzej Wajda, to represent Poland in the running for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Committee members judged that the selection of considered films included a number of interesting artistic projects that certainly deserve recognition at international film festivals. The final decision of Oscar® Selection Committee was made by a majority vote. After the last meeting of the Committee, chairman Waldemar Krzystek said: “After having seen many excellent films and after a long discussion, we came to an agreement about the fact that Andrzej Wajda’s film has the highest promotional potential. We would also like to emphasize that several of the titles that were in the running will be eligible for consideration as Poland’s candidate next year. We wish the director, actors and producers of Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei (Wałęsa. Man of Hope) the best of luck in the Oscar race.”

Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei (Wałęsa. Man of Hope) will be released theatrically in Poland in September 2013. The film had its international premiere at the 70th Venice International Film Festival.

Translated by Karolina Kołtun