directed by £ukasz Palkowski, biography, drama, 112 min, eng subtitles
written by Krzysztof Rak
with Tomasz Kot, Piotr G³owacki, Magdalena Czerwiñska, Kinga Preis
Zbigniew Religa is a young ambitious doctor who has just come back from a traineeship in the US. Back home, he intends to apply the latest world improvements in transplantology, but is blocked by restrictions in the People’s Republic of Poland. The old ward heads do not allow their younger colleagues to operate, while the hospital authorities ban any innovations. Even when Religa opens his own clinic and gains some independence, he does not escape the same problems – the communist government declines funding for the equipment and medicine becomes the victim of politics. The uncompromising doctor – taking the medical establishment by storm and creating his own rules – pays a high price for his dreams and ambitions.
The ‘Gods’ of the title are three Polish heart surgeons who, under the leadership of maverick Dr Zbigniew Religa, performed the first heart transplants in Poland in the mid-80s. The real Dr Zbigniew Religa (1938-2009) went into politics, ran for president and was the Polish Minister for Health between 2005 and 2007.
Awards
Gdynia FF 2014 (Best Movie, Best Actor, Best Script)
Polish Film Awards, ‘Eagles’, 2015 (Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Audience Award, Best Supporting Actor)