In the early 1970s, following the premiere of The Life of Matthew — a film that nearly won the Cannes Film Festival before the event was interrupted by the student revolt of 1968 — Leszczyński, deeply inspired by the poetry and prose of Edward Stachura, developed a close creative relationship with the writer. Together, they wrote a screenplay based on Stachura’s novel Axiliad, or The Winter of the Forest People (Siekierezada albo Zima leśnych ludzi).
Due to censorship restrictions in the 1970s, the film never went into production, which led Leszczyński into a creative crisis. In 1979, Edward Stachura took his own life. The tragic death of this cult writer reignited Leszczyński’s determination to return to the adaptation project. After the spectacular success of Konopielka, the director regained creative momentum and rewrote the screenplay for Axiliad.
In 1985, during the final years of the Polish People’s Republic, when domestic box-office hits like Sexmission (1984) and Mr. Kleks’ Academy (1984) dominated Polish cinemas, Leszczyński presented a film that stood out with its poetic atmosphere, quiet reflection, and deep connection with nature.
The stunning landscapes we see in the film were not the Bieszczady Mountains, as often believed, but the picturesque surroundings of Bodzanów, Czarna Białostocka, and even Turkmenistan (the ancient ruins of Merv near the city of Mary). Axiliad became a major success, earning Leszczyński the Golden Lions at the Gdynia Film Festival and two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute
Axiliad
Film Discussion Club Faktor Berliński
Witold Leszczyński – a singular figure in Polish cinema – created his extraordinary debut at the end of the 1960s: The Life of Matthew (Żywot Mateusza), which remains one of the most beautiful examples of poetic cinema in Polish film history.
