Cecilia Stevenson, producer, joins me to talk about Saint Maximillian Kolbe and the new movie, Triumph of the Heart!
Most stories about St. Maximilian Kolbe’s biography end when he steps forward to take the place of a condemned man in Auschwitz. “Triumph of the Heart,” however, begins there. In the harrowing confines of a starvation cell at the infamous concentration camp, Kolbe joins nine other condemned men and fights to forge a brotherhood of hope despite their suffering and desperation. As despair and fear grip the group, the pressures of starvation and internal ideological divisions mount. Yet, Kolbe’s appeal to their shared humanity and Polish identity forges a brotherhood that culminates in a poignant act of sacrifice, illuminating hope in one of history’s darkest moments.
Kolbe’s story arguably saved the director’s life
Director Anthony D’Ambrosio was at the darkest moment of his life. A chronic illness overtook him. It destroyed his life. He couldn’t sleep. His relationship ended. He could barely hold down his job. Worse, there was no cure in sight. He lost his faith and wanted to die. And then he remembered St. Maximilian Kolbe’s story of courage and sacrifice and how this already heroic man built a brotherhood of light in the darkness of an Auschwitz starvation bunker.
This movie was partially filmed in the historically significant Łódź, Poland
Before its Nazi occupation, Łódź (pro. “Wooch”) had Poland’s second largest Jewish population. The Nazis established a ghetto there in 1940. It was enclosed by fences and barbed wire, with strict guarding by German police. Life within the ghetto was characterized by horrific conditions, including extreme overcrowding, starvation and a lack of basic necessities such as running water and sanitation. Beginning in January 1942, deportations from the Łódź ghetto to the Chelmno extermination camp began. Jewish residents were murdered in gas vans upon arrival at Chelmno. In September 1942, the Germans specifically targeted children, the elderly and the sick for deportation to Chelmno during what became known as “The Sperre” or “Children’s Aktion.” In 1944, the Łódź Ghetto was the last remaining ghetto in German-occupied Poland. The Germans liquidated it, deporting the remaining approximately 75,000 Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau and Chelmno, where most were murdered. When Soviet forces liberated Łódź in January 1945, only a small number of Jews remained, either in hiding or in forced-labor units, highlighting the devastating impact of the Holocaust on this community.
The film tells the story of St. Maximilian’s final two weeks on earth through the eyes of the nine men with whom he was condemned.
Director Anthony D’Ambrosio’s most important decision was to tell the story largely from the perspective of Kolbe’s fellow doomed men, a group the film imagines as a representative mix of Auschwitz prisoners: young and old, of varying levels of education; Catholic, Jewish, non-
This film is a record setter for Catholic movies.
As a project of D’Ambrosio’s Sherwood Fellows, “Triumph of the Heart” has already made a significant impact in the Catholic film community, becoming the most successful Catholic Film Kickstarter of all time, raising $160,000 in Kickstarter funds alone.
Cecilia Stevenson (Producer)
Cecilia Stevenson is a film producer with a background in live media, narrative film and television, and corporate video production. She has a passion for stories that explore faith, purpose and sacrifice, and she specializes in producing faith-based and mission-oriented projects. After graduation from Texas A&M University, she pursued a career in video production. However, she eventually found herself falling in love with the world of narrative filmmaking and has worked on large production sets, including those of “The Chosen” and “Washington’s Armor.” In 2016, she met Anthony D’Ambrosio (writer/director of “Triumph of the Heart”), and the duo quickly discovered the complementarity of their strengths and shared values to produce faith-based films. Cecilia enjoys downhill mountain biking, creating spreadsheets and playing board games. She is a devoted Catholic who calls producing “Triumph of the Heart” the most challenging — and most meaningful — experience of her life.
You can watch the trailer for “Triumph of the Heart” HERE.
Or you can have the amazing opportunity to host a community screening HERE.
