The Champion 2021

Overview

The Champion is a 2021 drama, history, and war film that explores the experiences of a prisoner during the Second World War. Also known by the Polish title Mistrz and released in some regions as The Champion of Auschwitz, the film was written and directed by Maciej Barczewski. The story is set in 1940, following the arrival of the first transport of prisoners at the newly established Auschwitz concentration camp. Among the prisoners is Tadeusz Teddy Pietrzykowski, a pre-war boxing champion from Warsaw. Camp officers force Pietrzykowski to compete in the boxing ring, where his matches are fought for his own survival and the lives of other prisoners. As he continues to win, his performance fosters hope among the captives that the Nazi authorities are not invincible. This growing sense of resistance among the prisoners eventually leads to an inevitable confrontation with the camp leadership. The film stars Piotr Glowacki as Pietrzykowski, portraying the life of a real Polish boxer who gained fame for his nearly undefeated record while imprisoned.