Movie about Saint Maximilian Kolbe’s story of hope to be screened in Park City

Friday, Sep. 05, 2025

PARK CITY — A new film about Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Conventual Franciscan priest who sacrificed his life for another man in the Auschwitz concentration camp, will be screened in Park City on Sept. 13, hosted by the parish’s Knights of Columbus council. The film focuses on the 14 days the saint spent in a starvation bunker with nine other condemned men in Auschwitz.

The film begins with St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteering to die in the place of a stranger selected for a starvation punishment at the Auschwitz concentration camp. “Triumph of the Heart” focuses on the time St. Maximilian Kolbe spent with the nine other condemned men in the bunker.

“Triumph of the Heart” was created by Catholic writer and director Anthony D’Ambrosio and his company Sherwood Fellows along with Crossroads Initiative, the ministry of executive producer Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio. It was initially funded through a Kickstarter campaign, where individual backers provided the initial financial support.

Anthony D’Ambrosio was inspired to develop the movie after experiencing a personal crisis of faith and health. While struggling with a severe illness, chronic insomnia and grief, D’Ambrosio found himself in a state of despair.

“The darkness closed in, and I lost my faith,” he said on the movie’s website. “I didn’t want to live anymore. But then I remembered Kolbe. … I kept coming back to that starvation bunker – the place where Kolbe chose to love in the face of unimaginable suffering. I thought about how he forged a brotherhood in that darkness, how he transformed despair into hope. Slowly, a light began to break through. Kolbe’s story gave me a way forward, and this film is my way of sharing that light with the world.”

St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus Grand Knight Dr. Joseph Nowoslawski was touched by D’Ambrosio’s story after a friend shared it with him and decided to ask his council to sponsor a screening in Park City.

“The council works with the parish and the Church to try to advocate [for] the goals and missions of the Church,” Nowoslawski said. “So this is a perfect movie. It sort of reviews how Christ gave up his life for us. And there’s a lot of religious themes there, and I think it’s an excellent recruitment campaign to bring more people into the Church.”

“Triumph of the Heart” is anticipated to be released at more than 5,000 theaters nationwide and in Poland beginning Sept. 12, according to the website.

WHAT: Screening of “Triumph of the Heart”

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 13, 4 p.m.

WHERE: Prospector Square Theater, 2175 Sidewinder Dr., Park City

COST: $17

For tickets, contact Dr. Joseph Nowoslawski at jfn@jskthera.com or 610-772-3551.