Artur Święs

How was it possible that a single man influenced contemporary world so significantly? This film is an attempt to capture the phenomenon of a common man’s metamorphosis into a charismatic leader — an attempt to see how a Gdansk shipyard electrician fighting for workers’ rights awakened a hidden desire for freedom in millions of people.

A coal mine director invites Jacob, a TV series star, to add splendor to the celebration of St. Barbara's Day, the patroness of miners. Basia, a worker from the sorting department, is chosen to hand Jakub the welcoming loaf of bread. The two completely different worlds come together: flashy, success oriented strangers from Warsaw and traditional, modest and unwilling to change Silesians.

Lives of three different people living in a small Silesian town intersect.

“Laura” is based on a true story about a dramatic search and rescue mission at Halemba coal mine that gripped Poland in February of 2006. A miner was trapped underground, and by the fourth day when everyone was beginning to lose hope of his safe return, the rescue team heard a faint knocking on the pipeline. After a nearly a week long search, the miner was rescued. Those who followed the story closely called it a miracle. But the miner claimed that what saved him was stronger than a miracle – his love for his daughter Laura, and his wife Marlena.