MOVIE

A Poet on the Frontline: The Reportage of Ryszard Kapuscinski

2004 · 63 min · Documentary

A POET ON THE FRONTLINE will introduce audiences to the world of Ryszard Kapuscinski, the famous daredevil war correspondent and one of the world's most important contemporary literary figures. Known as "Indiana Jones with a notepad," Kapuscinski is a legend among his peers who has been looking for the truths of human experience in the most dangerous places. Filmmaker Gabrielle Pfeiffer traveled with Kapuscinski in four countries, capturing his true character, his passion, his humor and his demons. Her film interweaves Kapuscinski's childhood as a refugee in Poland during WWII, with his later experiences on the battlefields of the Third World, in a poetic reverie of the tragedy and the absurdity of war. It also looks at the lines between journalism and literature, and challenges of the writer in the face of censorship.—Gabrielle Pfeiffer