25 YEARS OF INNOCENCE
25 LAT NIEWINNOŚCI. SPRAWA TOMKA KOMENDY
25 YEARS OF INNOCENCE.
THE CASE OF TOMEK KOMENDA
crime, drama I 2020 I Poland
SUNDAY 21/05/2023 5:30pm
RITZ CINEMAS
Original Title: 25 lat niewinności. Sprawa Tomka Komendy
Duration: 112 min
Language: Polish with English subtitles
Director: Jan Holoubek
Writer: Andrzej Gołda
Cast: Piotr Trojan, Agata Kulesza, Jan Frycz,
Andrzej Konopka, Magdalena Różczka,
A gripping crime drama based on real events that shocked Poland and made headlines for many months.
Tomasz Komenda was 23 when his life was brutally interrupted. Arrested overnight, he was thrown into prison, found guilty, and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of 15-year-old Małgosia. The directorial debut of accomplished Polish cinematographer Jan Holoubek follows the tragic story of a man who had served 18 years in prison before being found innocent in 2018.
The film attempts to find answers to questions that are still bothering public opinion: how could this happen and why did an innocent man have to wait 18 years for justice?
"The film draws you in from the first minutes, it is shot with verve and panache, and it does not lack moving and brutal scenes. At the same time, it is devoid of cheap sentimentality. Despite the expected happy ending, the authenticity and emotions bursting out of the screen feel as if the film was made by the creators of the best American prison dramas" — Onet
"A mixture of the miserablist prison drama and good old-fashioned police procedural, "25 Years of Innocence" plays like Shawshank Redemption stripped of any feel-good moments. A grim yet eventually hopeful examination of a true case of wrongful imprisonment in Poland, this true-life story has the potential to be a crossover success. — DMovies
"A solid, well-made feature debut (...) [It] is the sort of film that it's impossible to enjoy, while at the same time, you know perfectly well that it's actually pretty good" " — Marta Balaga, Cineuropa
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
WINNER: Grand Jantar Best Director I Debut Film Festival in Koszalin I 2020
WINNER: Grand Jantar Best Screenplay I Debut Film Festival in Koszalin I 2020
WINNER: Audience Award I Debut Film Festival in Koszalin I 2020
25 YEARS OF INNOCENCE | 25 YEARS OF INNOCENCE | 25 YEARS OF INNOCENCE |
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FESTIVAL DATES
Program Announced
14 April 2023
Tickets on Sale
16 April 2023
Sydney Opening Night
Sunday 7 May 2023
Festival Dates
7 May – 4 June 2023