A documentary thriller about how truth disappears from the court of law
THE FILM
Europe. Contemporary Poland. Two men, two life stories, and inverted justice. Although MIREK (63), a charismatic overachiever, and LARRY (57), a psychopathic murderer, never cross paths, their destinies are strangely intertwined, as if switched by a mysterious force. Mirek’s world crumbles as he finds himself caught in a perplexing legal labyrinth for over two decades. Meanwhile, Robert, the unrepentant perpetrator, revels in opulence, untouched by the consequences of his crimes. Following these trials for over a decade, the film exposes the scaffolding of a broken justice system and interrogates the nature of impunity, leaving viewers bewildered by surreal and confounding legal processes. Reminiscent of Conrad’s trip down the Congo River, this story challenges each of us to ask what justice should look like.
The film is shot in Poland, Brussels, Strasbourg, and New York.
THE MESSAGE
A democracy is only as strong as its judiciary.
Poland’s ostensibly democratic system houses a justice system with roots in the pre-democratic era. It is filled with people, mentality, and instruments misaligned with democratic traditions and aspirations. HIJACKING THE TRUTH shows this legacy’s practical effects on peoples’ lives and collective safety.
There is one assumption and challenge of every judicial system, and it never goes away: judicial integrity. Once you dismantle this assumption, what’s left?
Courts matter, perhaps more than any other state institution. Every problem in society eventually reaches the courtroom. Judges, in public perception, construct our image of what’s normal and what’s legal. In the post-Auschwitz era, the courts represent the limits of our humanness.
It’s a film about a conversation that didn’t take place. About a dialogue that never existed. A sparring game about the value of truth, trust, and credibility.
The concept of inverted justice, imparted by prosecutors and judges in Poland, is counterintuitive to normal mind. Breaking the law and biding by the law, simply put, are polar opposites. I’ve always thought criminals are those punished, not their victims.
CAMILA, a crime victim
I don’t have a problem with Polish law. It protects people and businesses pretty well. For the last two decades, I have been fighting judges and prosecutors who break it.
MIREK CIEŁUSZECKI, 21 years on trial for “defrauding himself”
The courts must be independent. They have never been independent after 1989 […] If the judicial profession were open to people with experience and achievements, without obligations to the authorities, we would not tremble today for democracy and the tripartite division of power.
JUDGE JACEK IGNACZEWSKI, author “The Justice System. Present and Future” (2008)
JOIN US
WHEN:
Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 1 pm PST for US-based participants
Wednesday, September 13, 2023, 2 pm CET (GMT+1) for European audiences
WHERE:
Please email Marzena for a registration link marzena@nostos-films.com
PARTNER WITH US
Through our strategic collaborations, partnerships, and associations with allies committed to promoting collective efforts to end human rights violations and their disrespect, we plan to reach millions of viewers worldwide. Using our film and its powerful message, we will:
spotlight corrupting channels of invisible power
help strengthen resistance against actions that undermine the rule of law in the courtroom
promote accountability for human rights violations
SUPPORT WHAT WE DO
Fiscal sponsor THE FILM COLLABORATIVE
https://www.thefilmcollaborative.org/fiscalsponsorship/projects/hijackingthetruth
Direct paypal link
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=RKP5Q4RQ7DLJW
MEET THE TEAM
Marzena Grzegorczyk
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
Marzena Grzegorczyk PhD is a screenwriter, film director, producer, and author. She works in both, documentary and feature films. Concurently to shotting HIJCKING, she’s been working on a book, Semiotic Black Holes, Misguided Paradigms and Justice à Rebours. On the art of having rights on the periphery of Europe. An informal system update. Both, the book and the film, are based on her decade long observation of the inner workings of the Polish courts.
Magdalena Bojdo
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Magda graduated with an MFA from the Polish National Film School in Lodz. During the course of her studies, Magda shot nearly 20 short films as a DP, two of which premiered at the Camerimage Festival. Often referred to as a good listener, she loves to shoot documentaries. She believes there is never shortage of people to look at and learn from.
Mateusz William Gugałka
PRODUCER, CINEMATOGRAPHER
Mateusz worked for three years as a cinematographer and editor on one of the most popular NETFLIX’s shows, TIGER KING. He was as a multimedia journalist for Telemundo Oklahoma. In 2020 the book he published a book, KRÓL TYGRYSÓW JEST NAGI [Sine Qua Non], which he co-authored with Bartosz Czartoryski. Mateusz was born in New York. Currently he resides in Warsaw.
Thierry Malet
COMPOSER
Thierry has composed music for more than 100 documentaries and more than 200 films for TV and cinema. He is one of the top ten French composers [the IMDB International Star Meter Rank, 2020]. In 2005, for his score for the film IMAGO, which won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes festival, Thierry was awarded the SACEM prize for the best film score and was nominated for an Oscar.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER
12
1 PM PST
Filming HIJACKING THE TRUTH. Behind the scenes and Q&A with the director, Marzena Grzegorczyk.
PST time zone (for US-based viewers). For a registration link, email Marzena [marzena@nostos-films.com]. Please join us!
SEPTMBER
13
2 PM CET
Filming HIJACKING THE TRUTH. Behind the scenes and Q&A with the director, Marzena Grzegorczyk.
CET time zone (for European audiences). For a registration link, email Marzena [marzena@nostos-films.com]. Please join us!
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Behind the scenes
HIJACKING THE TRUTH and Q&A with the director
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HIJACKING THE TRUTH is an independent film, fiscally sponsored by the FILM COLLABORATIVE. Tax deductible donnation is possible through the FC website