Beats of Freedom, a documentary showing the birth of Polish rock and its significance in the struggle for freedom under communism, has received its premier in Poland.

The film, directed by Leszek Gnoinski and Wojciech Slota, is a journey through three decades of Polish rock music. It begins with the famous Rolling Stones concert in Warsaw in 1967 and then goes on to show music’s significance during the wave of strikes in June 1980, which led to the birth of the Solidarity trade union.

A Polish rock boom followed involving such bands as Maanam, Perfect, Republika, TSA and Turbo. The birth of the rock festival in Jarocin and the punk rock movement in Poland with such groups as Kryzys, Brygada and Dezerter is also shown.

The film shows how the music evolved in the 1980s and how it influenced the life of the generation which grew up listening to Polish rock.

Marek Niedzwiecki, the legendary Polish Radio 3 DJ who hosted the Lista przebojów (Chart Show) programme throughout the period, says that the communists had a difficult relationship with the music, which spontaneously grew, mostly outside of the officially sanctioned channels.

“They forbade playing Maanam on air after the band had refused to play a gig for party officials. Also, the communist secret police tried to remove Lady Punk’s song Mniej niz zero from the charts because it allegedly hinted at Grzegorz Przemyk, a student killed by the secret police.”

The film has been co-produced by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and was released on March 12. (mg/pg)

Beats of Freedom trailer