'Triumph of the Heart': More Than a Story of Sacrifice

Shelly Henley Kelly attended the red-carpet premiere of Triumph of the Heart and shares her impressions of the film and quotes from the production team.

Triumph of the Heart is — in part — the story of Saint Maximillian Kolbe’s sacrifice and passion after offering his life in place of another at Auschwitz.  But it’s much more than that. When ten strangers facing death put differences aside and come together as brothers, they find hope where there should be none; they find freedom, victory, and peace through love. It’s a story for us all.  

Saint Maximillian’s story is known to many. Incarcerated as a political prisoner at Auschwitz, the Polish priest with a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary stepped forward to take the place of another selected for death because that man had a family. Instead of dying quickly, Kolbe sang and prayed. After a miraculous 14 days without food or water, Kolbe and three others were finally killed with an injection of carbolic acid. The man he replaced survived the war and lived to be 94 years old, attending both the beatification and canonization of Father Kolbe. 

No records exist identifying the other nine men in the bunker. 

The Inspiration Behind the Film

Triumph of the Heart is the inspiration of Anthony D’Ambrosio, whose family has been engaged in storytelling and creative marketing for years. Faced with his own dark night of the soul after a period of profound suffering from an undiagnosed infection, he meditated on Saint Maximillian Kolbe’s story, wondering what it was like to be trapped in that cell, starving to death with no hope of salvation. Through the experience, he imagined how Kolbe’s actions brought these men into death and beyond it with peace and hope.   

This movie is the result. 

It opens with all that is good about life — young love, laughter, playfulness, joy — before it quickly shifts to Auschwitz. A prisoner has escaped and the Nazi Commandant, Karl Fritzsch, stoically counts off ten men to be punished in his place. Kolbe volunteers. 

As the guards push the men into the dark cell, illuminated only by a high window, they place bets on whether anyone will last more than four days. Left with nothing but a sharp rock — an option for a quick death — the shock and disbelief give way to rising tensions between the men. Father Kolbe urges the men to hold onto their hope.  

While Commandant Fritzsch anticipates propaganda glory from the story of breaking Kolbe’s will to live and his disgraceful demise, Kolbe continues to lead the men as a militia resisting through prayer and singing, helping them find solace in their shared humanity.  As each day passes and the madness threaten, the men unite until they finally realize their victory, the enduring triumph of hope and sacrifice in the face of unimaginable darkness. 

Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice there is no love. (Maximillian Kolbe)

The Story of a Brotherhood

Because there’s no documentation identifying the men who died with Kolbe, Ambrosio crafted a brotherhood representing the varied people known to be incarcerated in Auschwitz in 1941. Those identified include a teacher and his student, Polish soldiers, a homosexual, a Socialist, and a father.  

Brilliantly written with high-quality performances by experienced actors, the film includes stunning visuals. In a movie about darkness, the light generates and illuminates both mood and character.  

The very first role we had was to take it from not being a project to praying over Anthony and telling him to get going. … But he couldn't do that alone. So we swooped in to be a team that not only gave some money, but also went and raised money through friends and family. (Executive Producer Jeff Schiefelbein)

Triumph of the Heart wasn’t pitched to a major film studio; instead, it relied on faith, prayers, hard work, and fundraising. With a production budget of $355,000, this first-time filmmaker also filmed on location in Poland, where he didn’t speak the language.   

It's not a film, it's an experience. (Jeff Schiefelbein, Executive Producer) 

There are moments of ugly crying, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a movie set during the Holocaust that draws me out of heartbreaking sorrow and into heart-aching hope and joy. And that is the intention of the filmmakers.  

I want people to take hope from the film. …If we let the Lord work in our lives, we can be lights in the darkness to other people. I think this movie helps us understand how we can, in suffering with people, … we can transform that suffering. We can make it meaningful. (Marcellino “Dr. Italy” D’Ambrosio, founder of Crossroads Initiative)

Triumph of the Heart opens in limited theaters on September 12, 2025. Check for tickets at TriumphOfTheHeart.com/militia to purchase through AMC, Fandango, and Atom Tickets. Crowdfunded screenings continue to make tickets available, and groups guaranteeing 80 tickets can host a screening at an available theater. This film is rated 13+.  

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Copyright 2025 Shelly Henley Kelly
Images: courtesy of TriumphOfTheHeart.com, all rights reserved, used with permission