1989

The agreement reached at the Round Table in 1989 between the Polish democratic opposition and the communist authorities led to the legalisation of the “Solidarity” movement founded by Lech Walesa and to  the first free general election since World War II. It turned out to be the commencement of political, economic and social shifts no one had been able to foresee. The situation forced the former opposition to take in charge the reconstruction of the economically devastated state.

The year 1989 was a thrilling time, a time when Poles confronted a new and unknown reality. “1989” is a personal take on the transition triggered by the Round Table. Michał Bielawski’s film portrays the morale of the people in that period, with the use of both official and underground archive footage, photographs and eyewitness accounts.