St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Final Moments, Coming to the Big Screen

Triumph of the Heart: St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Final Moments, Coming to the Big Screen

by Franci Revel Eckensberger, Lead Editor

It’s August 14: today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was sentenced to death exactly eighty-four years ago in 1941. Born in 1894 in Poland–then a part of the Russian Empire–the Conventual Franciscan friar is the patron of drug addiction, prisoners, families, and the pro-life movement. Kolbe possessed a profound devotion to the Virgin Mary, having experienced a vision of her during his childhood:

That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me, a Child of Faith. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.
– St. Maximilian Kolbe

Kolbe left for seminary soon thereafter, illegally crossing the border into Austria-Hungary at age thirteen with his brother. He went on to become ordained into the priesthood, a member of the Militia Immaculata (Army of Mary), composing the Immaculata Prayer and writing extensively for newspapers and books distributed by the Immaculata Friars. He worked tirelessly for the faith throughout his life as a missionary and priest and drew suspicion from the Nazi forces for criticizing them heavily in his newspaper, The Knight of the Immaculate. On February 17, 1941, he was arrested for hiding Jewish people and was eventually taken to Auschwitz, where he was beaten, harassed, and eventually martyred upon offering his own life in the place of a fellow prisoner. Kolbe prayed ceaselessly until the end, when he was given a lethal injection of carbolic acid. He was cremated the day after his death on August 15–the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. 

Triumph of the Heart: A New Look at Kolbe’s Final Moments

This week, Carmel Communications sent out a press release promoting Sherwood Fellows’ new film Triumph of the Heart. The film, which is set to premiere in theaters nationwide on September 12, 2025, “invites viewers into the starvation bunker of Auschwitz, where the Polish priest, martyr and saint forged light from darkness,” the press release states.  

In what Carmel Communications reports is the “most successful Catholic Film Kickstarter of all time,” Sherwood Fellows raised $160,000 dollars through Kickstarter alone for the project. Perhaps one reason for this success is the film’s focus not on the moments leading up to Kolbe’s voluntary martyrdom, but on the events that occur after he makes that decision. The press release states that most retellings of Kolbe’s life end the moment Kolbe offers his life for another prisoner–Triumph of the Heart “begins there.” 

The film depicts not only Kolbe but the ten men in his bunker and the stories they bring to Auschwitz. “With starvation, despair and ideological division threatening to undo them, Kolbe unites the group–young and old, educated and illiterate, Catholic, Jewish and non-believing–by appealing to their shared humanity and dignity as sons of Poland,” Carmel Communications shares, with writer and director Anthony D’Ambrosio stating that Kolbe “transformed despair into brotherhood.” The film’s website features a moving statement from D’Ambrosio evidencing a strong personal connection to Kolbe’s story and a sense of certainty in the influence his story can have today: “In an age that runs from pain and avoids the cost of love, Kolbe shows us another way. He is a saint for our time–and his story is one we all need to hear.”

Triumph of the Heart displays the saint’s “steadfast love” and  “sacrificial witness . . . culminating in a redemptive act that transcends suffering and death.” Whether you consider St. Maximilian Kolbe a beloved intercessor or you’re entirely unfamiliar with his legacy, the film promises viewers an inspired and grace-filled experience, centered on the idea that “Christian love can conquer the deepest horrors of the human condition.” Reviewer Emily Malloy writes in The Federalist that Kolbe’s fellow prisoners are depicted as “conversely [achieving] freedom through love despite their circumstances.” She also compares the film to “a Caravaggio masterpiece reemerging after 500 years. Light contrasting darkness in cinematography and writing is how this known story impresses anew amid a myriad of films depicting Nazi devastation. Natural light fuses with the ten men’s internal radiance, contradicting the darkness of their circumstances and environment.” Needless to say, we at Paloma & Fig are eager to get to the theaters.

Triumph of the Heart is written and directed by Anthony D’Ambrosio and produced by Cecilia Stevenson. It will premiere in theaters nationwide on September 12, 2025. As of this article’s writing, 3,907 tickets have already been sold. Find a theater or launch a screening here: https://www.triumphoftheheart.com/militia. 

Watch the trailer here.

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Writer and editor Franci Revel Eckensberger holds a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Cornell University. With years of experience as a copyeditor for academics, fellow writers, and various small businesses, she takes pride in maintaining clarity, consistency, and beauty in each client’s voice. 

Franci finds grace and insight in the Catholic Church’s rich relationship to language and invites that relationship to influence both her literary and editorial work. Saint Cecilia and Catherine of Siena continue to play a vital role in her journey to the faith as an artist. She lives in coastal Delaware with her husband.