The Italian distributor is Nomad Film. International sales are handled by Germany's Films Boutique.

The film had its international premiere on 5 September 2013 during the 70th IFF in Venice and opened in Polish cinemas on 4 October 2013, distributed by Vue Movie. As of April of 2014 the picture was seen by over 964,000 viwers in Poland.

Wajda shows over 20 years of Lech Walesa's life, covering his involvement and later leadership of 1980s Polish trade union Solidarity. The film was produced by Akson Studio in coproduction with Telewizja Polska and Canal + and was supported by the Polish Film Institute.