In 1940, an estimated 22,000 Polish troops were massacred in Russia. Many of these murders were in the Katyn Forest. The discovery of the bodies led to an investigation, and one of the biggest cover ups in history. The Russian government at the time refused to admit responsibility, and the pressures of war meant that the Allied Powers could not afford to question their position.

It was not until 1990 that Russia finally admitted to her crimes, conceding that the Polish forces were murdered by the NKVD, the Russian Secret Service at the time. For the first time ever, the families of those who died were allowed to mourn at the graves of their loved ones, 50 years after the atrocity. However, even now, the Russian government refuses to disclose the documents regarding Katyn, meaning that it is possible we will never understand the whole truth about the crimes committed.

The first memorial to the Katyn victims was placed in Gunnersbury Cemetery in 1976, where a plaque reading KATYN 1940 was promptly removed by the local council at the time, on behalf of the government who opposed it.

Now, at the Watermans, a film by the controversial Polish director, Andrzej Wajda, gives an examination of the truth about the atrocities covered up for half a century. The film follows the lives of four Polish families whose lives are torn apart after they fall into the hands of Soviet troops, while their families await news of them at home in Poland.

The film is showing from Friday 17th July to Thursday 23rd July. See www.watermans.org.uk/cinema/17072009/katyn/ for more details, and for showing times.

July 6, 2009