Wajda announces new pic

Pic on Katyń Atrocity to be based on Wodzimierz novel

By BARBARA HOLLENDER

Two Polish directors are preparing to make a movie about one of the darkest episodes of Polish World War II history -- the Soviets murdering 14,000 Polish army officers in several concentration camps during World War II, collectively known as the Katyn Atrocity. Polish Oscar winning director Andrzej Wajda, who will present his newest work to the public in early October -- based on the Polish classic "The Revenge," has announced his next project.

The screenplay about the events at in Katyn will be based on the novel by Wodzimierz Odojewski, written especially for this movie. "For several years now I've been looking for a script I could use for a film about the Katyń Atrocity," says Wajda, "I've worked with a couple of script writers, but their ideas didn't appeal to me. That's why I turned to Wodzimierz Odojewski, who had brought up the subject of the Katyn Atrocity in his books several times already."

The protagonist's character will be based on the life of a pre-war Communist Youth activist, whose brother was murdered in Katyn. Lew Rywin of Heritage Films will produce.

Simultaneously, another film about the Katyn Atrocity is being prepped by Robert Gliński, director of the Karlovy Vary winner "Hi, Tereska." The script of "Sanatorium Gorkiego" was written by the director and Dzamila Ankiewicz, and is based on true occurences in the Kozielsk concentration camp for officers in 1939-40. As in Wajda's film, the movie is centered on an real person -- a Polish lieutenant of the reserves, a pianist, murdered in Kozielsk.

The producer of the film, with a budget estimated at 9 million zloty ($2.3 million dollars) is Marek Nowowiejski, while actor Boguslaw Linda will coproduce and Michal Zebrowski will star.