The film is a historical drama based on real events, depicting the unknown history of a Polish athlete who became a symbol of hope for victory over Nazi terror. The boxer fought several dozen fights in the camp, of which he lost only one. His on-screen history was documented in detail based on archival statements of former prisoners of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the memories of the boxer himself. Acclaimed Polish actor Piotr Głowacki was cast in the lead and he is accompanied by Marian Dziędziel, Grzegorz Małecki, Rafał Zawierucha, Marcin Bosak, Marcin Czarnik and Piotr Witkowski.

The film is a feature debut for Maciej Barczewski, produced by Iron Films with a budget of 1.8 m EUR / 8 m PLN, with 587,209 EUR / 2.5 m PLN of production funding from the Polish Film Institute. The film was lensed by Witold Płóciennik.

"The Champion is primarily a story about an extraordinary man who, thanks to his skills, not only fought for his life in the place of extermination, but also gave others hope that their tormentors were not invincible," Barczewski told FNE.

The shoot for the film was completed at the end of 2019. The Polish distributor is Galapagos Films and the film is planned to open in Polish cinemas on 5 March 2021. 

Production information:
Galapagos Films 
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Credits:
Director: Maciej Barczewski
Screenwriter: Maciej Barczewski
DoP: Witold Płóciennik
Cast: Piotr Głowacki, Marian Dziędziel, Grzegorz Małecki, Rafał Zawierucha, Marcin Bosak, Marcin Czarnik, Piotr Witkowski