Set in Warsaw, Poland, The Pianist is a testimony to the power of music, the will to live, and the courage to stand against evil, and is based on the true account of Polish Jew Wladyslaw Szpilman's amazing survival through the brutal Nazi occupation of his country during World War II. A brilliant pianist, Szpilman is portrayed by Adrien Brody (Summer of Sam), whose sensitive and measured performance earned him the Best Actor gong at this year's Oscars(r). The supporting cast includes a host of stars - Thomas Kretschmann (Blade II, U-571), the legendary British actors Frank Finlay and Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Julia Rayner and Jessica Kate Meyer.

In addition to the three Oscars(r) awarded (Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay) to The Pianist it also won 2 BAFTAs, the coveted Palme D'or in 2002, a European Film Award and countless nominations in many more ceremonies.

A superb and moving tribute to those who lived under the oppression of the Nazis, The Pianist is not just the story of one man's survival but a study of human nature under immense pressure, a study of loyalty, compassion and betrayal. We see Wladyslaw Szpilman survive the Warsaw ghetto, the loss of his friends and family and the eventual liberation of Warsaw by the Soviets. Along the way he is aided and betrayed by the most unlikely people: the startling bond between Szpilman and the German Captain Wilm Hosenfeld is particularly poignant.

From the legendary and controversial director Roman Polanski (Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown), The Pianist is his most personal statement yet. At the age of seven he escaped the Krakow Ghetto through a hole in a barbed-wire fence. The Pianist marks the first time the director had made a movie in Poland in 40 years. "I survived the bombing of Warsaw and the Krackow Ghetto and I wanted to re-create those childhood visions," Polanski notes. "It was also important for me to stick as close to the truth as possible and avoid Hollywood style make-believe."