Usłyszcie mój krzyk

On 8 September 1968, official Harvest Festival celebrations were held at the 10th Anniversary Stadium in Warsaw, attended by Władysław Gomułka, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR, the communist party), and Prime Minister Józef Cyrankiewicz. Something happened during the event that was not mentioned by the papers, neither in Poland nor abroad, as if no one had noticed anything. Ryszard Siwiec, a clerk from Przemyśl, set himself on fire in front of the crowd of many thousands. He managed to scatter a few leaflets explaining that his self-immolation was in protest against the Warsaw Pact forces entering Czechoslovakia. Severely burned, Siwiec was taken to hospital, where he died. Many years later, on the basis of documents, statements from relatives as well as eye-witnesses, Maciej Drygas, the film’s director, seeks to find out who Ryszard Siwiec was and what cause brought him to inflict such terrible suffering on himself. The film includes fragments of an authentic recording made by Ryszard Siwiec two days before his self-immolation. “I, Ryszard Siwiec, of sound body and mind, after a long struggle and much consideration, have decided to protest against the total tyranny of evil, hatred and lies taking over the world”. These were the words with which he began his testament. Maciej Drygas’ masterpiece is still poignant today. (Warsaw Film Festival)