“Gierek” is getting closer. The creators are tempted by a trailer with a bomb. Literally

The action of the film takes place in the years 1970–1982, from the moment when he became the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, until the end of his internment. “But it will not be a political film,” assures producer Janusz Iwanowski. “We show Edward Gierek behind the scenes of power, that is, what people did not know so far. Family relationships that never saw the light of day will be an important part of this story, and Gierek himself will surprise many viewers” – he describes. Until recently, few people knew that during the reign of Edward Gierek in Poland, there was an atomic research program, and our scientists were very close to creating a neutron bomb. This theme will also be touched upon in the film “Gierek” directed by Michał Węgrzyn.

“Gierek” with a new trailer and release date

The creators of “Gierek” emphasized from the very beginning that before the work on the set of the film began, it took a long time to prepare to write the script. Moreover, producer Janusz Iwanowski knew the secretary personally – “he had been organizing knowledge with him during meetings for years, especially about his private life” – it was described. The filmmakers also assured that they would tell about unknown or little-known facts.

Undoubtedly, such a flavor was to be, among others thread of Polish research on the neutron bomb. In the new trailer, we can see that the hero played by Maciej Zakościelny tells the film Gierek about the success of Polish scientists who were the first in the world to carry out a nuclear fusion without a nuclear explosion. Thanks to this, it was possible to plan the construction of a neutron bomb. This type of nuclear weapon has a relatively low explosion power, but it releases a high dose of radiation that is lethal to living organisms.

The ranks of the producers of “Gierek” could have been spoiled a bit by the creators of the series “Pajęczyna”, in which the entire criminal plot is built around this secret research program. The production of Player Original premiered in the fall of 2021, and the film with Michał Koterski will hit theaters on January 21, 2022. But let us remind you that the premiere was originally planned for the 20th anniversary of Edward Gierek’s death in July 2021. The film was also watched by the secretary’s son and did not hide his enthusiasm. During the meeting with the press, he said:

We watched the film with my son in Warsaw, we did not know everything that Mr. Janusz did, we were very curious. Anyway, journalists immediately asked if I knew anything about it, whether I had any influence on the script. No, I didn’t consult the script, I didn’t know anything. The movie is two and a half hours long. During this time we sat wrapped up watching this movie.

As for the acting itself, Mr. Koterski perfectly captures my father’s emotions in 100%. The father was an emotional man, and I think these emotions were 100 percent perfectly conveyed. This movie may cause some shock, people don’t know the story.

In fact, Michał Koterski prepared for the role very solidly: he gained 17 kg, for six months he hid why he had such a change in his appearance and lifestyle, and he was specially learning French to speak fluently in this language. As Janusz Iwanowski told us, in his opinion, he is ideally suited to this role: – He also resembles Gierek in his personality. His secretary mentioned to me that Gierek was always the first in the room, he had an extremely loud voice. And Michał is just like that. Another actor would have to work it out, Michał is so loud that you can’t hear anyone else in front of him. There are certain features of Gierek that he also has naturally. He is a good, straightforward man. Even when he argues with someone, it is known that they will soon live in harmony. These are the features of Edward Gierek – explained Mr. Janusz.

Apart from Michał Koterski, the production includes Ma³gorzata Ko¿uchowska, Agnieszka Więdłocha, Sebastian Stankiewicz, Antoni Pawlicki, Rafał Zawierucha, Ewa Ziętek, Jan Frycz, Filip Tłokiński, Krzysztof Tyniec, Maciej Zakościelny, Mikołaj Roznerski, and Cezary Żak.

The authors of the script, which was created on the basis of information collected over 20 years, are Michał Kalicki (main screenwriter), Krzysztof Tyszowiecki and Rafał Woś, and the directing is the responsibility of Michał and Wojciech Węgrzyn, known for example from the appreciated film “Proceder”. The photos were taken in the summer of 2020, incl. in Ustroń, Katowice, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Zawiercie or the Palace of Culture and Science.