Distinction for the Film “Portrait of a Father” at the 10th BohaterON Award Named after the Warsaw Uprising Insurgents
During the jubilee gala of the 10th edition of the BohaterON Award named after the Warsaw Uprising Insurgents, held on 12 November 2025, the Mecenat Kultury Foundation received a distinction as a finalist in the “Non-Profit Organisation” category. The BohaterON Award is one of Poland’s most prestigious distinctions, recognising individuals and institutions that make a significant contribution to preserving historical memory, fostering a contemporary understanding of patriotism, and promoting the values upheld by the participants of the Warsaw Uprising.
The Award Committee recognised the documentary film “Portret Ojca” (in Englih: Portrait of a Fathher), a deeply moving account of the lives of the so-called “Katyn children”. The film gives voice to their personal testimonies and experiences related to the tragedy of the Katyn massacre. It brings together reflections on life and the values upheld by the protagonists — children of the victims of the crime.
At its core, the documentary is a story of loss: the loss of a father, family, home, and a carefree childhood. At the same time, it is a story of resilience, inner strength, and the will to survive. It portrays individuals who, in the face of profound hardship, found the strength to endure and who now share their reflections on what truly matters in life.
While historical context provides the backdrop, the narrative foregrounds emotions, personal reflections, and lived experience. The film offers a journey into the past whose universal dimension resonates strongly with contemporary audiences, reminding us that history continues to shape the present. The filmmakers worked on the project over several years, conducting interviews with more than one hundred participants and documenting their memories. The result is a tribute to the last living witnesses of those events.
In its statement, the Award Committee emphasised the creators’ courage in addressing difficult subjects, their exceptional sensitivity to both history and the human experience, and the film’s profoundly moving testimony to the strength of love and memory. The production was praised for being realised with the utmost respect for both its protagonists and its audience. Produced by the Mecenat Kultury Foundation, the film was described as a deeply humanistic work, centred on emotion and universal values such as family, forgiveness, and responsibility for passing on historical memory to future generations.
The film was granted the honorary patronage of the Katyn Museum, and its premiere took place on 10 April 2025 on TVP1, marking the 85th anniversary of the Soviet’s massacre.
During the ceremony, held at the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio, the distinction on behalf of the Mecenat Kultury Foundation was received by Magdalena Sasal, Vice-President of the Management Board, co-creator of film, and a long-standing member of staff at the Katyn Museum.
