300 Miles to Heaven

300 Miles to Heaven (Polish: 300 mil do nieba) is a 1989 Polish drama film directed by Maciej Dejczer. It is based on the true story of the Zieliński brothers, two teenagers who escaped from Communist Poland in 1985. The film received the European Film Award in 1989. Plot synopsis In a working-class village near Kielce, Poland, the Kwiatkowski family live in poverty. The two oldest sons, sixth-grader Andrzej "Jędrek" Kwiatkowski and first-grader Grzegorz "Grześ" Kwiatkowski dream of escaping to the West in pursuit of better living conditions and opportunities, as well as to financially aid their dissident parents. Grześ wishes to escape to Louisiana in the United States to pursue a music career. The boys' dream is also shared by Jędrek's classmate, Elka, who often lives alone due to her father's alcoholism and repeated incarceration.