The Golden Globes are the annual awards of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. A shortlist of nominations is due to be announced on December 13, with the Golden Globe awards ceremony scheduled for January 9.
The Champion tells the story of Tadeusz ‘Teddy’ Pietrzykowski, a prewar boxing champion of Warsaw, who in 1940 arrived with the first transport of prisoners at the newly created concentration camp of Auschwitz.
The camp officers force him to fight in the ring for his and other prisoners’ lives. During his three years in the camp, Pietrzykowski fought more than 40 victorious duels, becoming a symbol of hope for inmates.
Tadeusz Pietrzykowski. Photos: Press Kit
Since its premiere in September, The Champion has attracted an audience of 200,000 in Poland. It has also been shown in Britain and Ireland.
The Guardian daily wrote in a review: “If you don’t already know about Pietrzykowski’s story, there’s genuine suspense in watching and hoping that this decent guy, played with tremendous physical prowess and quiet dignity by Piotr Głowacki, will make it through.”
The daily described the film as a “cleanly hewn drama, … a sturdy work, backed with a lovely full orchestral score.”
(mk/gs)