Freedom's Fury
Australia, December, 1956: The Melbourne Summer Olympics are underway. Among the international cadre of world-class athletes is the Hungarian waterpolo team— an emerging powerhouse in the sport led by star player, Ervin Zador. Though the defending champions from the previous Olympic Games, tensions are high from the start— just two weeks prior, anti-communist protests in Budapest led to a countrywide Hungarian Revolution that was brutally suppressed by the Soviet Union, leaving over 15,000 people killed or executed. Going into the semi-final round, when Hungary is matched with the Soviet Union, an epic showdown take places. Fighting to defend not only their title but for Hungary, what followed is now known as "the Bloodiest Game in Olympic History."
Cast
- Mark Spitz
- "Fascinating...earnest."
- "[F]ilms that take water polo as their subjects are few and far between, at least in part because of the great difficulty of making the sport interesting to an audience beyond its participants. In the case of Freedom’s Fury, that obstacle is overcome via a focus on a single match, and the revolutionary politics that surrounded it."
- "Far from a straight sports documentary, Freedom's Fury is uplifting and bittersweet, framing the drama of an athletic afternoon within the global political picture."
Gallery
Awards & Recognition
Tribeca Film Festival
Hong Kong Int. Film Festival
Warsaw Int. Film Festival
Global Peace Festival
Waterfront Film Festival
Bahama Film Festival
Cinequest
New Zealand International Film Festival
Wisconsin Film Festival
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