​One of the special screenings at the 49th KVIFF was the world premiere of the director’s cut of “Wałęsa. Man of Hope” by legendary director Andrzej Wajda. The movie was created exclusively for this occasion with a support of Unipetrol, the company from ORLEN Group. Unipetrol is also the partner of this year’s festival. 

The splendour to the premiere of  director’s cut of  “Wałęsa. Men of Hope” was added by participation of the former Polish President and Nobel Prize winner - Lech Wałęsa. Alongside Lech Wałęsa, the world’s premiere of the director’s cut was attended by the leading role actors Robert Więckiewicz and  Agnieszka Grochowska. Both,  the visit and the special screening  was taking place thanks to the support of Unipetrol which is one of the biggest company  in the Czech Republic and a part of ORLEN Group. 

“Czech market plays a very important role for ORLEN Group business. Therefore I am convinced that all opportunities to strengthen ties with our neighbour shouldn’t be neglected. For that reason we willingly supported the project of screening the movie, that is so valuable for polish history at the Czech Festival. Past, remarkable events that happened in Poland 25 years ago, were just the prelude to a chain reaction that sparked through country after country of the Eastern Bloc, which changed the face of the Modern Europe. Now, while Europe is still under the pressure of the economic crisis, we should  more than ever aim at intensifying Europe’s unity and solidarity,“  says Jacek Krawiec, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PKN ORLEN.

“Such a prestigious International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary is a great place choice for presenting the world premiere of the director’s cut of the movie. It has been 25 years since June Elections in Poland and the Velvet Revolution in what was then Czechoslovakia. This year also marks other historical milestones for both countries, that of 10 years since our accession into the European Union and 15 years of our entrance into the NATO structures. The timing of the film’s presentation therefore could not be better,” said President Lech Wałęsa.

Andrzej Wajda,  the most prominent Polish director of the 20th century, has filmed a biography of one of the key figures of modern Polish history. His most famous movies include The Promised Land (1975), and a trilogy of war films: A Generation (1954), Kanal (1956) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958). Nevertheless his greatest achievement remains his “Man-trilogy”: Man of Marble (1977), Man of Iron (1981) and Wałęsa. Man of Hope (2013), which offer an invaluable counterpoint to the history of Poland in the 20th century. In “Wałęsa. Man of Hope”, Wajda illustrates the phenomenon of former polish president – the head of the Solidarity trade-union movement – and his transformation from an ordinary worker into a charismatic leader. “It was a  great pleasure to present extended version of the film, which is close to my heart in Karlovy Vary. I think that despite the differences in Czech and Polish cinematography, we are similar in fundamental things not only as filmmakers but also as people. I am therefore certain that Czechs could also relate to the movie,” commented Andrzej Wajda.