Karbala

April 2004, Iraq. On the Day of Ashura the militia of the Shiite cleric Muktada As-Sadr, supported by the jihadists, start an uprising in the Polish stabilization zone. The US command orders the Poles to hold the City Hall, the seat of the local authorities and police, loyal to the stabilization forces.

Captain Kalicki’s reconnaissance company takes over recruits from the country, paramedic Kamil Grad among them. On the way to the base the company enters into an ambush. At Kalicki’s request Kamil is accused of failure to render aid to a wounded comrade during the action and is transferred to the City Hall for questioning. On the next day Kalicki’s company arrives at the City Hall with the task of holding the building for the first 24 hours.

Kalicki, his soldiers and Kamil, cut off from the world in rebellion-striken Karbala, will take part in the largest battle that Polish soldiers have fought since World War II.

written and directed by Krzysztof Łukaszewicz
casting by [Weronika Migoń]
director of photography Arkadiusz Tomiak PSC
music by Cezary Skubiszewski
production design by Marek Warszewski
costume design by Magdalena Rutkiewicz, Agata Drozdowska
make-up by Tomasz Matraszek
sound by Wojciech Ślusarz
edited by Michał Czarnecki
cast Bartłomiej Topa, Hristo Shopov, Antoni Królikowski, Tomasz Schuchardt, Leszek Lichota, Mikołaj Roznerski, Michał Rolnicki, Michał Żurawski, Jakub Wieczorek, Piotr Żurawski, Piotr Głowacki, Łukasz Simlat
produced by Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych
producer Włodzimierz Niderhaus
co-produced by Agora, Telewizja Polska, Canal+, Studio Produkcyjne ORKA, Miramar Film (Bułgaria)
production manager Andrzej Besztak
co-financed by Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej, Bulgarian National Film Center
distributed by Next Film
world sales Next Film i WFDiF