Lease support film on Abortion Rights in Poland
Lucja Hawking (Jastrzebska) is a Polish-British filmmaker, actress and human rights activist working on a new documentary that brings together the personal and the political in a deeply human way. Alongside her film work, she is also the Country Coordinator for Central Europe at Amnesty International UK, where she focuses on human rights monitoring and advocacy across the region. This project grows directly out of both her professional work and her own lived experience.
The idea for the film began during her Master’s research, but it quickly became something much closer to home. Having spent years living between Poland and the UK, Lucja found herself watching women’s rights in Poland steadily erode. At the same time, she was researching her own family history and began to notice something striking: the echoes of wartime trauma still shaping how women’s bodies are talked about, understood and controlled today.
This film follows that thread. It is not a traditional history documentary. Instead, it looks at how the past quietly lives on in the present, often in ways people don’t even realise. Through conversations with her own family, as well as activists and experts, Lucja explores how memory, identity and politics become intertwined across generations.
At the centre of the film are real, honest conversations. Different generations speak about their experiences, their beliefs and how they relate to the past. Some feel deeply shaped by history, carrying it with them in how they see the world. Others want to move forward without being defined by it. The film doesn’t try to resolve these differences, it simply holds space for them, allowing something more truthful and complex to emerge.
The film also gently explores how ideas around bodily autonomy in Poland have become tied to bigger questions of nationhood, motherhood and survival. In a country where history is never far away, today’s debates, especially around abortion, are connected to much longer stories. This film aims to help audiences see those connections in a way that feels accessible, personal and real.
Lucja is working with a small, thoughtful team that shares a strong commitment to ethical storytelling. The film’s Director of Photography, Alina Kolosova, focuses on intimate, person-centred cinematography. Together, they are creating a quiet, observational style that gives people space to speak in their own words, without pressure or performance.
The goal is simple: to make a film that feels honest. Not sensational, not overwhelming—just grounded, careful and human. A film that invites people to listen, reflect and perhaps see things differently.
To make this possible, the team is currently raising funds to support the production, which is halfway through filming. This includes filming in both Poland and the UK, archival research, sound recording, editing, translation and subtitling, as well as making sure everyone involved is paid fairly for their work.
This is an independent project, built with care, and every contribution genuinely makes a difference.
If this story resonates, you are warmly invited to be part of it. By donating, you can help turn this film from an idea into a reality and help ensure these voices and experiences are seen and heard.
