Karbala

Directed by Krzysztof Łukaszewicz

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.