Set in the Polish Highlands at the outset of WWII, Marcin Koszałka’s gripping WHITE COURAGE begins with a betrayal. Brothers Andrzej (Filip Plawiak) and Maciek (Julian Swiezewski) are driven apart when Andrzej’s lover, Bronka (Sandra Drzymalska, SIMONA KOSSAK) is promised to Maciek. Andrzej leaves, and meets Wolfram, an anthropologist who enlists him to support the Nazi ideology, while Maciek begins organizing the local resistance back home. When Andrzej returns, an inevitable, devastating confrontation unfolds. Koszałka (THE RED SPIDER) sets a brutal story against a breathtaking backdrop, using the tale of two brothers to tell a larger story of WWII’s impact on the Highlanders. Co-written by Koszałka, with research support from the Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, WHITE COURAGE won the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at the 2024 Gdynia Film Festival, and swept the 2024 Polish Film Festival, winning Best Director, Best Actress (Drzymalska), Best Supporting Actor (Swiezewski), and Best Screenplay. Content consideration: contains scenes of violence.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Best Actor (Filip Pławiak), Best Supporting Actor (Julian Swiezewski), Polish Film Awards
Winner - Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Julian Swiezewski), Best Actress (Sandra Drzymalska), Polish Film Festival
Nominee - Best Film, Polish Film Festival
Chicago European Union Film Festival Spotlight: Poland | It is our pleasure, with the generous support of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, to present two weeks of the best new and classic films from Poland and Polish filmmakers. Join us March 7–20, as we present 20 films, including 13 new titles—and 12 Chicago premieres—alongside classics from filmmakers including Krzysztof Kieślowski, Agnieszka Holland, and Andrzej Wajda. Meet filmmakers visiting us from Poland, and enjoy taste from the country through special events and at concessions.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu