The National Opera in Warsaw is the venue of tonight’s premiere of Popieluszko, a feature film on the life, pastoral work and the murder of the Solidarity priest, Father Jerzy Popieluszko.

One of the most eagerly awaited Polish movies of the last two decades, it goes on general release on 27 February.

Director Rafał Wieczyński, who was sixteen when Father Popieluszko was murdered in 1984 by communist secret services, told journalists that for many years he didn’t understand the true depth of his priestly vocation. “As most people, I saw in him a man who stood up against the system, having no idea where he derived his strength from. I now know that this was the power of his faith,” he said.

Adam Woronowicz, the actor who portrays Father Popieluszko in the film is almost the same age as the priest in the early 1980s. Slight and thin, he bears a striking resemblance to him. He told a press conference that the role was a great challenge for him but the way he prepared himself for the project followed the usual path. “I had lots of meetings with the people who knew Father Popieluszko. I spoke to his mother and visited the places where he worked and lived, including his private apartment in Warsaw in which nothing has changed. The book shelves there are the ones which he made himself. I spent a week in a seminary. I had the comfort of withdrawing from my work in the theatre for several months just to concentrate on the film. What it all meant to me? I simply stopped being scared and started to speak with my own voice…”

Father Popieluszko, now on a fast track to beatification, was the best known of the many priests who identified themselves with the Solidarity movement. After the imposition of martial law, he organized material aid for the families of the interned Solidarity activists and spoke openly in the defence of human rights and freedoms. On October 19, 1984 he was abducted, tortured and murdered by communist secret police officers.

The film took seven months to make. Almost seven thousand extras took part in the scenes of the priest’s funeral and Solidarity demonstrations. In addition to leading Polish actors appearing in supporting roles, Cardinal Glemp plays himself in the scenes which re-enact the real conversations he had with Father Popieluszko. The film’s premiere is accompanied by a huge promotional campaign, targeted mainly at the younger generation and under the motto ‘Truth is immortal’. (mk/pg)