Krzysztof Łukaszewicz depicts true events which took place during the Houthi insurgency in Iraq, in 2004. It was a battle in the eponymous Karbala, which involved soldiers from the Polish Military Contingent operating as part of the Multinational Division Centre South.
The film was inspired by facts and portrays a battle of which the details remained a secret for many years – the Americans treated the participation of Polish forces in the battle of Karbala as classified information, and attributed the success to the Iraqi soldiers.
Piechcin in Karbala
In both the Karbala and Misja Afganistan/Mission Afghanistan TV series, we can see outdoor locations in the Jurassic limestone quarries located in Piechcin, near Barcin, in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province.
Titbits
- The film was inspired by the true story of Lieutenant-Colonel Grzegorz Kaliciak, who commanded a Polish-Bulgarian unit in Karbala. He was a professional consultant for the film, since he participated in the events himself.
- Kaliciak is a model for the main protagonist in the film, portrayed by Bartłomiej Topa.
Information on the film
Karbala
Poland 2015, 111′
Directed by: Krzysztof Łukaszewicz
Screenplay: Krzysztof Łukaszewicz
Cinematography: Arkadiusz Tomiak
Music: Cezary Skubiszewski
Produced by: Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych
Cast: Bartłomiej Topa, Hristo Szopov, Antoni Królikowski, Michał Żurawski, Leszek Lichota, Tomasz Schuchardt, and others.
Selected Awards
The Gdynia Film Festival – the Golden Kangaroo Award of Australian Film Distributors; Tofifest IFF – the Golden Angel Award for the Best Polish Film; the Polish Film Festival in America, in Chicago – the Special Jury Award and Audience Award; the Polish Society of Cinematographers – the PSC Award; the Polish Film Eagles Awards – the Award for Best Cinematography; the NETIA OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema in Krakow – the Award for Best Actor in the Polish Film Competition; and others.
