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WHEN THE WIND BECOME SILENT

KIEDY UMILKNIE WIATR

By Mateusz GOLEBIEWSKI

Sport - Development 2021

An amazing story of Norwegian Polish athletic rivalry. A model example of fair play gesture on the background of Europe during cold war time.

- Year of production
- 2021
- Genres
- Sport, Documentary
- Countries
- POLAND, NORWAY
- Languages
- POLISH, NORWEGIAN, ENGLISH
- Budget
- 0 - 0.3 M$
- Duration
- 52 mn
- Director(s)
- Mateusz GOLEBIEWSKI
- Writer(s)
- Mateusz GOLEBIEWSKI
- Producer(s)
- Malgorzata PROCIAK (ZK STUDIO SP. Z O. O.)
- Synopsis
- A short historical introduction
  October 1956, Joseph Stalin died three years ago. Humiliated by the Soviet tyranny Polish people wait for changes in the country devastated first by World War II and then by communist rule. Poles are looking not only for new political leaders but also for sport champions to rebuild the nation's pride.
  
  A story of two champions competition
  Janusz Sidlo, one of the most popular sportsmen in the country struggles to prepare himself to Olympic Games, which will take place in Melbourne in less than a month. He is the European Champion and World Record holder, so every Polish citizen believes that Sidlo will reach the Olympic gold.
  But when Polish journalists ask him who is the favourite in his opinion, he replies: Egil Danielsen. Danielsen is Norwegian and he is his main rival in the forthcoming Olympic competition. His personal best result is only a few inches worse than Sidlo's World Record, but in Poland nobody believes that Sidlo can be second.
  Sidlo has a unique advantage - he knows how to throw an iron javelin. Prototype at that time. Danielsen uses the old technique and a wooden javelin like other competitors.
  At Melbourne Olympic stadium almost a hundred thousand spectators enjoy three magnificent throws by Sidlo. At the third attempt he beats Olympic record. And there is nobody at the stadium, who thinks that somebody can beat him.
  
  A fair play gesture
  Danielsen is at the sixth place. And his performance is quite poor. But then, something unexpected happens. Sidlo offers Danielsen an iron javelin he uses himself. And he instructs him how to throw it properly. Danielsen has nothing to lose. He grabs the javelin. He takes a few steps and he throws. 5 meters further than Sidlo just did. Thus Danielsen beats Sidlo's world record and gets the Olympic gold. Sidlo finishes second with a silver medal.
  Polish champion will not give up
  When Sidlo comes back to the country he has only one thing in mind – to even the score. For a year he attends every athletic event in Europe to compete with Danielsen. And finally both men meet at athletic event in Hamar, Norwegian champion’s hometown. On a small local stadium Polish javelin thrower beats Olympic champion's result by ten meters.
  Three years later Danielsen finishes his athletic career – he decides to retire. Sidlo does not give up and goes to the Olympic games three times again, every time as a favourite to win gold, but each time he comes back with nothing. Melbourne silver medal remains his only Olympic success.
- Partners & financing
- Hamar commune (Norway)
  National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute (Poland)
  Polish Olympic Committee
- Production schedule
- Delivery date: 11.2022