The film version of the bestseller

The film Testimony is based on the book of the same title, published in 2007, a transcript of conversations with Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz conducted by Italian journalist and Vatican expert Gian Franco Svidercoschi.

Translated into over a dozen languages, more than a million copies were printed in Poland.

"I served by his side for almost forty years "

Testimony is a cinematic story that attempts to portray Karol Wojtyła as a man, priest, bishop and, finally, the Pope as remembered by his long-time secretary and friend. Cardinal Dziwisz accompanied the Holy Father for forty years of his life, from his times in Cracow until his last days in the Vatican. The film is a testimony of John Paul II's life, presenting many new facts and interpretations, including from Karol Wojtyła's youth and his private life. The film's most poignant themes include the assassination attempt on the Pope and the moments immediately thereafter, when his life was being saved.

Film formula

Cardinal Dziwisz's memoirs are illustrated with documentary footage, as well as dramatised material.

The film's authors exploited many sources unknown in Poland. They used the Vatican archives and yet-unpublished photographs. Events recorded on the film are reconstructed by actors in the dramatised part of the story. The various themes and forms are brought together by the narrator.

Story of the 20th Century

Testimony is a narrative encompassing the history of Poland, Europe, and the world during the twentieth century and the turn of the millennium. A must-see for Roman Catholics, the film also presents the person and the legacy of the Pope in a secular - historical, political, and sociological - context.

So Testimony is both an account of the Pope's life and an in-depth analysis of the most important events at the end of the twentieth century. This is a film which will appeal to non-Catholics as well.

Cross-border production

The film was directed by Paweł Pitera, author of TV series Tajemnice Watykanu.

Testimony was produced by Przemysław Häuser, film and TV producer specializing in Vatican and papal themes. He managed to enlist well-known international artists in the production of Testimony.

Apart from Cardinal Dziwisz, the film's co-narrator is Michael York, the star of Bob Fosse's Cabaret and Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth. The original score was composed by Vangelis (Oscar winner for Chariots of Fire music) and Robert Janson (founder and leader of the Polish pop group Varius Manx).

The film was shot on location in the Vatican, Poland, Italy, Germany, and Portugal.

It was produced in cooperation with the Vatican publishing company Liberia Editrice Vaticana.

How Testimony was created

The first scenes were shot in autumn 2007 and it took almost a year to produce the film. The film was shot mainly in the Vatican, Cracow, and Wadowice, however the dramatised reconstruction of Karol Wojtyła's life required shooting on locations throughout virtually the whole of Europe.

Long conversations with Cardinal Dziwisz brought some 30 hours of film material recorded on camera.