Eddie the Eagle | Kraków Sport Film Fest

Eddie the Eagle
Directed by Dexter Fletcher | United Kingdom / USA / Germany, 2016 | 105 minutes
Language: English, German, Norwegian | Subtitles: English

The story of Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards is so improbable that it was practically destined for the screen. Without sponsors, without a national ski-jumping programme, and without a training facility, starting this discipline exceptionally late and learning skills largely on his own, he decided to become an Olympian. He trained in thick glasses held together with tape, used equipment borrowed from other teams, slept in cars and barns, and earned money for his trips through odd jobs.

At the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, he finished last - yet became a hero. Audiences worldwide loved his enthusiasm, determination, and complete lack of self-doubt against far better-prepared rivals. This spectacular "failure" inspired filmmakers nearly three decades later.

Dexter Fletcher doesn't attempt a serious sports drama - he deliberately transforms Edwards' story into a warm feel-good film about an outsider, full of humour, training montages, and 1980s-style music. On screen, Taron Egerton plays Eddie Edwards and Hugh Jackman plays Bronson Peary, a former ski jumper who becomes his coach. They are joined by Christopher Walken as Warren Sharp and Jim Broadbent as a BBC commentator.

The screening will be attended by the film's real-life subject - Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards, who will meet with the audience after the film.