Wałesa: Man of Hope

Wałęsa. Man of Hope (original title Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei), directed by Andrzej Wajda, is a biographical film about Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Poland, starring Robert Więckiewicz in the lead role. The film is structured around Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci's real interview with Wałęsa, spanning four decades from the 1970 Polish protests to the 1989 Round Table Agreement. It had its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2013; it was Poland's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards but did not make the final nomination list. Robert Więckiewicz won Best Actor at the 2013 Chicago International Film Festival. Who it's for: anyone curious about an epic biographical film tracing a country's last four decades of political history through a leader's real interview, which premiered at Venice. Who it's not for: viewers looking for a short, single sitting film, since this covers a sweeping four decade span.