English Section

Film chronicles Polish resistance to communist oppression

13.12.2024 07:00
"The Jaruzelski Decade – Solidarity Fights" is the title of a new documentary that premiered in the southern Polish city of Kraków as the country prepares to mark 43 years since the martial law crackdown of the early 1980s.
Photo:
Photo:PAP/Mateusz Marek

The 53-minute film is a directorial debut of Marcin Bzyk-Bąk, a vocalist in the crossover and hardcore band Wu-Hae.

Bzyk-Bąk told the media that his film portrays the activities of the anti-communist movement in Kraków's Nowa Huta district, focusing on the daily life of a family of three..

The Jaruzelski Decade – Solidarity Fights features extensive footage secretly filmed by the communist secret services, providing rare insights into the regime's surveillance tactics.

It also includes recordings of conversations between security police officers, capturing orders to use force against protesters.

Bzyk-Bąk also said that filmed reminiscences by communist-era opposition figures "bear witness to the dramatic events of the time and pay tribute to the thousands of unsung heroes who fought for Polish independence."

The Nowa Huta steel mill was one of Solidarity's key strongholds.

The premiere of the film was among numerous events held across Poland to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the imposition of martial law. General Wojciech Jaruzelski's regime declared martial law on December 13, 1981 to crush the Solidarity movement.

(mk/gs)