Wałęsa: Man of Hope, Directed by Andrzej Wajda

How was a single individual of humble background, Lech Wałęsa, able to change the world so dramatically? This is as much a psychological question as it is an objectively quantifiable one. In Wałęsa: Man of Hope, Andrzej Wajda probes the private life of the Polish "Solidarity" Trade Union leader and wrests from its essence the incredible transformation of a shipyard worker into a charismatic leader. Sure to appeal to the older, "Solidarity" generation, the film is nevertheless addressed above all to young audiences. Although we now may be decades past the triumph of Polish independence from the Soviet Union in 1989, the subject matter remains profoundly relevant. The world is experiencing a new wave of national unrest, from the Arab Spring, to Iran's Green Movement, to massive protests in Turkey and Brazil. As Wałęsa himself noted in his speech before the United States Congress: "Now others jump fences and tear down walls. They do it because freedom is a human right." This remarkable film is a fitting tribute to the stubborn, sometimes arrogant, famously moustachioed Gdańsk electrician able to move crowds and affect positive world change as few others have ever done.

A banquet honoring former First Lady of Poland Danuta Wałęsa, and author of a controversial recent book about her experiences during the rise of Solidarity, will be held on March 21 at the University Club in Oakland. Tickets are $150, of which $100, tax deductible, will go to the Endowed Fund for Polish Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. The banquet is open to the public but registration is strictly limited and will be on a first-received basis, before the deadline of March 15