COMING TO THEATERS SEPTEMBER 12th, 2025
A feature film about St. Maximilian Kolbe and his companions’ triumph over death.
AS SEEN ON
$100,000
raised of $166,700 goal
100
34
theaters booked
days to go
NO SCREENING IN YOUR AREA YET?
Bring TOTH
to your city.
This is an indie film, which means from the very beginning we have had to rely on grassroots support. Without studio backing, A-list stars, or corporate marketing dollars, we’ve made it this far by doing what Kolbe did—taking the next faithful step in the dark.
Theaters hesitate to take a risk on a small Catholic film unless we can prove demand. That’s why we’re doing something bold.
We’re asking you to buy out the theater first. Once we prove demand to the theaters, they will be more likely to give us more screens on opening weekend. This will have a snowball effect and will result in more people having the opportunity to see and experience our film.
It sounds crazy—but it works. Here’s how:
Want the film to show near you? Step forward to become a host for $259 and launch your own local campaign. As the host, you’ll get 15 tickets to your screening if your campaign succeeds (as well as any extra tickets if there are unclaimed seats!).
Host a Campaign in Your Zip Code
01.
02.
Share your campaign page and rally your community to contribute to your campaign. Everyone who contributes to your campaign will receive 1 ticket to your screening for every $17 they contribute.
Rally Your Community
03.
Once your campaign raises $1,500 (the cost to buy out one theater), we’ll work with our distributor to secure a screening near you. If your campaign doesn’t hit the goal, you and your contributors can choose to Give Forward your tickets or receive a refund.
Once we book a theater buyout, the chances of that theater opening up their screens for additional screenings to the general public goes up! Your campaign is the key to making that happen.
Hit the Goal. We Book the Theater.
About the Film
Triumph of the Heart is based on the true story of the heroic sacrifice of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Most stories about St. Kolbe end when he volunteers to take the place of a prisoner in an Auschwitz hunger cell. Our story starts there. In Triumph of the Heart, St. Kolbe joins nine condemned men in a starvation bunker and fights to forge a brotherhood of hope in the darkest place on earth.
RELEASE DATE
September 12th, 2025
PRODUCER
Cecilia Stevenson
WRITER & DIRECTOR
Anthony D’Ambrosio
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Andrew Holzschuh
The Cast
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![Headshot of Marcin Kwasny]()
Marcin Kwasny
Maximilian Kolbe
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![Headshot of Rowan Polonski]()
Rowan Polonski
Albert
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![Headshot of Christopher Sherwood]()
Christopher Sherwood
Karl Fritzsch
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![Headshot of Sharon Oliphant]()
Sharon Oliphant
Franziska
“Deeply powerful. Unflinching. Brilliantly written and acted.”
Some films are beautiful, some are brutal—Triumph of the Heart is both in the best way.
— SARAH DEMARCO, UNLOST INTERNATIONAL
"The dominant artistic technique in Triumph of the Heart is like a Caravaggio masterpiece reemerging after 500 years.
WRITER AND DIRECTOR’S STORY
I lost my faith
and wanted to die.
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I got sick. An undiagnosed medical condition destroyed my life. I couldn’t sleep. My relationship ended. I could barely hold down my job. And worst of all, there was no cure—no end in sight.
The darkness closed in, and I lost my faith. I didn’t want to live anymore.
But then I remembered Kolbe.
St. Maximilian Kolbe was a priest, a writer, and a Catholic friar. During World War II, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz for his vocal opposition to the ideologies of the day.
He watched as 10 men were condemned to die in the starvation bunker—a brutal death sentence. When one man cried out, “My wife, my children!” Kolbe stepped forward and offered his own life in exchange.
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.
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.
-Anthony D’Ambrosio
Give Forward
Some of the people who need this film the most are on the Church’s frontlines: priests, missionaries, and religious who have given everything for Christ. We’re partnering with seminaries, vocation offices, and missionary groups to offer them free screenings using funds from our Give Forward pool.
We will also be using Give Forward funds to offer screenings to students. Many young people today are lost and need Christ—we will be partnering with schools and youth groups around the country to bring the film to our youth.
WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SAYING
This Isn’t Just a Movie
Hollywood controls the culture, and it doesn’t want stories like this to succeed. Triumph of the Heart is a grassroots movement. No studio. No stars. Just the truth, on screen. By backing this film, you're proving great Catholic stories can still reach the world—and helping to build a model others can follow.
What’s Next
If Triumph of the Heart succeeds, this will be the beginning of something extraordinary. We plan to launch a new production company to help other Catholic creators do what we did: Make daring, theologically rich films. Stay outside the system. Reach the people who need them.
St. Maximilian Kolbe,
Pray for Us
FAQs
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Because we’re independent. No studio backing. No celebrity names. Buying out every seat in a theater proves demand—and secures showings that are not otherwise guaranteed.
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Because not all theaters will carry our film on opening weekend and the ones that will currently don’t have tickets up for sale. If you want to guarantee our film will come to your city, buying out a theater right now is the best way to do that. Then, when the theater sees there’s demand in your city, they will likely open up more screens for others to come see the film.
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We don’t know yet. It depends on which campaigns hit their goals. If you want Triumph of the Heart near you, start or support a local campaign.
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As soon as your campaign reaches its goal of $1,500, our distributor will reach out to a theater in your area to secure the screening. Screenings will happen opening weekend (September 11–14, 2025).
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You can sell or give your ticket(s) to a friend. Your ticket(s) will be sent directly to you, so it will be your responsibility to give them to someone else if you are unable to make your screening.
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To priests, seminarians, missionaries, students, and religious. We’re coordinating with dioceses, vocations offices, schools, and religious orders nationwide.
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You’ll be given the option to Give Forward your tickets or request a refund. If you Give Forward your tickets, your contribution will go into our national pool of tickets for Give Forward recipients (priests, seminarians, religious, missionaries, and students).
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A host is the main point of contact for their screening. First, they kick-off their own campaign by paying $259 (they will receive 15 tickets if their campaign succeeds). Once their campaign is live, they will spread the word and rally support to reach the $1,500 goal. Once their campaign reaches it’s goal, we will reach out to discuss details about their screening. Then we handle booking the theater.