Mundial. The Highest Stakes.

The “España '82” World Cup was the last big success of the Polish national football team. All of Poland watched the spectacular goals scored by Boniek and Smolarek, the extraordinary skills of Lato, Kupcewicz and Buncol, the remarkable parades of Młynarczyk. Momentarily forgotten was the austere reality of Martial Law: censorship, troops in the streets, prisons overflowing with members of the political opposition. The national team's performance was so successful it was nicknamed “the most beautiful TV series of Martial Law Poland”. Mundial. The highest stakes is a documentary tale about sport and politics under the conditions of Martial Law. The players’ game was followed by interned activists of the delegalized “Solidarity” and censors, who cut any signs of political opposition from the broadcasts. The performance in Spain also shows us the perspective of the football players, who, apart from having to deal with the pressure of playing in the World Cup, had to live up to the expectations of their fans and the political regime. The documentary Mundial. The Highest Stakes is a story put together from archival materials of TVP, Film Newsreel, FIFA, animated photographs of Spanish football fields and the internment camp and is a multifaceted report assembled from interviews with the Polish national team members, opposition activists interned in Białołęka and well-known sports commentators.