2015 Competition


l; 2015 NON COMPETITION SCREENINGS
     Program 2015 English

Narrative features

POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov. 2, Monday, 7:30 PM
Opening of the 13th Warsaw Jewish Film Festival: screening of the film

Righteous
Sprawiedliwy
dir. by Micha³ Szczerbic,
Poland 2015, 95'

A picture of the Polish countryside and Poles’ extreme attitudes towards rescuing Jews during World War II. Hania, a 6-year-old Jewish girl (Ewelina Zawistowska / Aleksandra Hamka³o) is adopted by a young married couple. Pajtek (Jacek Braciak), a local oddball, befriends the girl. Will their bond survive the atrocities of war and human envy? Directorial debut of Micha³ Szczerbic (screenwriter of the award-winning Rose by W. Smarzowski) starring leading Polish actors: Jan Wieczorkowski, Urszula Grabowska, Katarzyna D±browska, Maja Komorowska, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Olgierd £ukaszewicz.
Language: Polish. Subtitles: English




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 04, WEDNESDAY, 4 PM
Polish premiere

Anderswo – Anywhere Else
Gdzie indziej – Anderswo
dir. by Ester Amrami,
Germany 2014, 87'

Noa, an Israeli student in Berlin, experiences a personal crisis. Her academic thesis is rejected and her relationship with her boyfriend Jörg is falling apart. Noa suddenly decides to take a break and go back to Israel: she needs a short holiday in her homeland. Sun, food, family, her own language... will it help her? Her overbearing mother (Hana Laslo) and preoccupied family offer little comfort, her German boyfriend suddenly arrives unannounced: this is not what she had in mind... This would be too much for anyone. Anderswo is a film that combines drama and comedy in an attempt to tell the story of an attempt to find your own place in life.
Language: German. Subtitles: English, Polish

Berlinale 2014, MFF Karlowe Wary 2014, UK Jewish FF 2014, Atlanta JFF 2015


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 05, THURSDAY, 6 PM
Polish premiere

The Last Mentsch
Ostatni Cz³owiek
dir. by Pierre-Henry Salfati,
Germany, Switzerland 2014, 90'

Marcus Schwarz (German Academy Award winner Mario Adorf) survived the camps in Auschwitz and Terezin. After the war, he tries to forget and reject his Jewish identity. However, the past finally catches up with him. Marcus would like to be buried among other Jews, but he finds out that he first needs to prove his Jewish descent. He needs documents and testimonies. In order to return to his birthplace and establish his ancestry, Marcus enlists the help of Gül (Katharina Derr), a brash, chain-smoking Turkish woman with a troubled history of her own. The unlikely duo sets out on a road trip to a small village on the Hungarian-Romanian border, a journey that will irrevocably change them both.
Language: German. Subtitles: English, Polish

Screening under the patronage of the Embassy of Switzerland in Warsaw.

Berlin JFF, UK Jewish FF, Atlanta JFF


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 06, FRIDAY, 6 PM

Felix and Meira
Felix i Meira
dir. by Maxime Giroux,
Canada 2014, 105'

Félix is an eccentric atheist, a French Canadian whose wealthy father is dying. Meira is a married Hasidic woman, a mother who is searching for something new. They both live in an Orthodox Jewish community in a district of Montreal. They meet one day and begin to get to know each other in secret. As they get closer, the choices they face become harder but inevitable. Félix and Meira tells the miraculous love story between two people from different worlds, who attempt to love each other despite everything that separates them.
Language: French. Subtitles: English, Polish

Screening under the patronage of the Embassy of Canada

IFF TORONTO 2014 – The best Narrative Feature, San Sebastian IFF 2014 – Official Competition, Warsaw FF 2014 – Official Competition


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 1 PM
Polish premiere

Chagall-Malevich
Chagall-Malevich
dir. by Alexander Mitta,
Rusia 2014, 120'

Inspired by the memoirs of Marc Chagall, the film blends fact and folklore to evoke the return of the iconic Jewish artist (Leonid Bichevin) to his childhood home of Vitebsk. Leaving behind immense success in Paris, Chagall marries his childhood love, Bella Rosenfeld and establishes the Academy of Modern Art. Chagall invites the Polish abstract painter Kazimir Malevich to teach at the art school, and a rivalry starts developing. As the October Revolution sweeps across Russia, historical events affect their relationship, struggles and the lives of themselves and their families. This sumptuous melodrama is brimming with surrealistic imagery from the paintings of Chagall and Malevich.
Language: Russian. Subtitles: English, Polish

Screening under the patronage of the Russian Embassy.

LA Jewish FF, Toronto JFF, Atlanta JFF, UK JFF, San Francisco JFF


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 4:45 PM
Polish premiere

To life!
Za ¿ycie!
dir. by Jean-Jacques Zilbermann,
France 2014, 104'

A tender and funny drama set in the sunny sixties. The film tells the story of the reunion of Hélène, Lili and Rose, three Jewish Holocaust survivors who haven’t seen each other since Auschwitz. Thanks to Lili, a Dutchwoman who worked in the camp kitchen, the two French girls survived. After the liberation, they lost touch. Lili went back to the Netherlands, Rose settled down in Canada and Hélène (Julie Depardieu) returned to France. 15 years later the reunion takes place in Berck, northern France. The three women reconnect and help each other overcome their Auschwitz trauma.
Language: French. Subtitles: English, Polish.

Screening under the patronage of the French Institute in Warsaw

Locarno IFF 2014, UK JFF 2014, Toronto Jewish FF 2015


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 9 PM
Q&A with authors

KLEZMER
KLEZMER
dir. by Piotr Chrzan,
Poland 2015, 90'

It is a sunny summer day in 1943. The film is set in the Polish countryside under German occupation. A group of young people goes to the forest to gather fir cones and brushwood. They talk, flirt and make plans for the future. Suddenly, they find a wounded Jew. This event will change their lives forever. This innovative film, directed by Piotr Chrzan, shows the diversity of attitudes adopted towards Jews by Polish peasants during World War II. Language: Polish. Subtitles: English

Venice FF 2015, Warsaw FF 2015


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 08, SUNDAY, 12 PM
Polish premiere

Secrets of War
Sekrety Wojny
dir. by Dennis Bots,
Netherland 2014, 95'

Suitable for young audiences – This film is recommended for ages 12 and up. Inseparable childhood friends in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands find their loyalty severely tested in the family-friendly, coming-of-age story. Summer 1943, 12-year-old best friends Tuur and Lambert are all but oblivious to the dangers of the war. Days are spent going to school and playing in the woods and caves outside their idyllic village of Limburg. Reality soon intrudes and begins to divide families. Tuur’s family joins the resistance movement, while Lambert’s parents, allied with the Nazi party, force him to join the Nazi Youth. Their relationship becomes particularly strained with the arrival of Maartje, a dark-haired girl with a mysterious identity. As the boys compete for her attention, jealousy and betrayal set in motion a series of high-stakes events that will alter their lives forever.
Language: Dutch. Subtitles: English, Polish

Patronage Ambasady Holandii.

Official Selection for Toronto International Film Festival. The Best Drama LA Jewish FF 2015


Feature documentaries

JCC WARSAW: Nov. 03, TUESDAY, 6 PM
Q&A with director and main characters

The Return
Powrót
dir. by Adam Zucker,
USA 2014, 83'

What does it mean to be Jewish in a country that was once center of the Jewish world, and is now perceived as “graveyard”? Is there still place for Judaism in modern Poland? Can Jewish identity be purely secular, constructed without religion? With no access to their heritage, four women representing the third generation of Holocaust survivors make an attempt to build their Jewish identities in modern Poland. We meet Kasia, Tusia, Maria and Katka and witness their everyday struggles in a country where Jewish life is slowly rebuilt.
Language: English, Polish. Subtitles: Polish

Screening in cooperation with JCC Warsaw




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 04.11, WEDNESDAY, 8:15 PM
Polish premiere
Q&A with director

Through the Eyes of the Photographer
Oczami Fotografki
dir. by Matej Minac,
Czech Republic, Slovakia 2015, 81'

Award-winning director Matej Minác tells the fascinating story of his mother, famous Slovak photographer of movie stars Zuzanna Minácova. The movie, full of humor, wisdom and tragic moments from the Nazi and Communist era, presents the remarkable testimony of an optimistic and successful woman who is still haunted by a tormenting childhood secret that won’t let her sleep at night. Zuzanna Minácova is an incredibly energetic 84-year-old, the most famous Slovak photographer who has been influencing Czech and Slovak photography for more than 50 years and whose works were exhibited in 30 countries. She became famous for her artistic experiments and for her legendary photographs of such stars as Robert de Niro, Sharon Stone, Gina Lollobrigida, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, Woody Harrelson, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Kingsley, Keira Knightley, Danny de Vito, Antonio Banderas, Jude Law and many others.
Language: Czech, Slovak. Subtitles: English, Polish

Screening under the patronage of the Czech Center and Slovakian Cultural Institute

Karlovy Vary IFF 2015, Haifa IFF 2015


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 05, THURSDAY, 8:15 PM

Q&A with project originators

Raise the Roof
Wznie¶my dach: synagoga z Gwo¼d¼ca
dir. by Yari and Cary Wolinsky,
USA 2014, 85'

Inspired by images of the magnificent wooden synagogues of 18th century Poland, the artists Rick and Laura Brown set out to reconstruct a replica of the stunning, mural-covered Gwozdziec synagogue. Working with a team of 300 experts and students from 16 countries, using only period hand tools and techniques, they work for 3 years, to finally make their dream come true. In 2014, the splendid reconstruction of the Gwozdziec synagogue roof was unveiled as the centerpiece of the new POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.
Language: English. Subtitles: Polish

Film provided by The National Center for Jewish Film, www.jewishfilm.org
The National Center for Jewish Film.

Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival – Audience Award


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 06, FRIDAY, 4 PM
Polish premiere

Treblinka 's Last Witness
Ostatni ocala³y z Treblinki
dir. by Alan Tomlinson,
USA 2014, 100'

Samuel Willenberg, now 92 years old, is the last living survivor of the Treblinka death camp where an estimated 900,000 Jews were murdered in a period of just 13 months at the height of World War II. Still haunted 70 years later by the horrors he witnessed, Samuel has immortalized the Treblinka story in a series of bronze sculptures of the tragic victims who dwell indelibly in his memory like ghosts. These breathtaking sculptures, together with archival footage and photographs, illustrate Samuel’s riveting narrative.
Language: Polish, English. Subtitles: Polish, English

LA Jewish FF 2015 – Best documentary


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 06, FRIDAY, 8:30 PM

Dancing Before The Enemy: How a teenage boy fooled the Nazis and lived
Mój Tata Gene Gutowski
dir. by Adam Bardach,
USA 2014, 63'

Film producer Gene Gutowski (Repulsion, Cul-de-Sac, The Pianist) was fourteen when the Nazis invaded his hometown of Lviv. With a combination of chutzpah, street smarts and an unflinching will to live, he spent the war flirting with danger as a teenage Jew. After the war, he went to Hollywood. He never wanted to recall his past, but he decides to tell his story to his son, filmmaker Adam Bardach. A remarkable survival tale recounted with humor and pathos. Language: English. Subtitles: Polish




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 7 PM

Q&A with authors

Amnesia
Amnezja
dir. by Jerzy ¦ladkowski,
Poland 2014, 56'

Although Amnesia is a documentary about the Kielce pogrom, Jerzy Sladkowski did not make a historical movie. The tragic events that took place in Kielce almost 70 years ago become the background for a story about evil that is hidden deep inside all of us. The film tells the story of Piotr, who returns to his hometown in order to find out what part his grandfather played in the Kielce pogrom. He talks to witnesses, knocks on the doors of people who live in the tenement building at 7 Planty Street and seeks those who are interested in the Jewish past of Kielce. He tries to find out what really happened in July 1946. The example of Piotr proves that old traumas can deeply affect the lives of future generations.
Language: Polish. Subtitles: English

Cracow Film Festival 2015


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 08, SUNDAY, 7 PM
European premiere and meeting with authors
Festival closing ceremony

SABENA Hijacking - My Version
Sabena – Porwanie. Moja opowie¶æ
dir. by Rani Saar, creator Nati Dinnar
Israel 2015, 98'

. Sabena Hijacking – My Version is a docudrama based on the dramatic, real story of the Sabena hijacking and the heroic hostage rescue. The film recounts the events that took place on May 8th, 1972 when a Belgian aircraft, flown by a British pilot, was hijacked by terrorists from “Black September”, the armed wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. This powerful docudrama includes exclusive access to three Israeli political leaders who were in charge of the rescue at the time: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres, as well as the only surviving hijacker. Sabena Hijacking – My Version fuses interviews with archive material and dramatic reenactments of the tense scenes that took place in the aircraft and control tower. It gives insight to the 30 nerve racking hours of captivity leading to the final release that saw all but one passenger escape unharmed. The film, captivating, fast-paced and full of suspense, poses significant political and historical questions that are still relevant and have shaped the current State of Israel.
Language: Hebrew. Subtitles: English, Polish

Invitations only. Reservations through films@wjff.pl




Short fiction films and animations

POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 05, THURSDAY, 4 PM
Polish premiere

Hidden Genes
Ukryte geny
dir. by Ariel Revel,
Israel 2015, 24'

Sarah, who uses the help of a matchmaker, discovers that she has a sick brother. Yael, a physician, already chose a cure for his condition but their mother Rebecca doesn’t want him to undergo therapy. Sarah ponders whether she should break off her engagement in order to save her brother.
Language: Hebrew. Subtitles: English, Polish




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 05, THURSDAY, 6 PM
Polish premiere

Incognito
Incognito
dir. by Jeremiah Quinn,
UK 2015, 11'

Two mysterious men meet for one last coffee in Buenos Aires in 1960. Their secrets and identities are gradually revealed. The film is based on a true story. The Jewish actor Kerry Shale starred in 188 films, including Barbra Streisand's Yentl. Language: English. Subtitles: Polish

UK Jewish FF 2015, San Diego Jewish FF 2015


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 06, FRIDAY, 6 PM
Polish premiere

Jewish Blind Date
Randka w ciemno
dir. by Anaelle Morf,
Switzerland 2015, 16'

Unhappy in love, Mary Lou decides to reconnect with her religious roots by marrying a practicing Jew. In order to get married, she has to pass the Shidduch test, which will determine whether her life will be a success or failure...
Language: French. Subtitles: English, Polish




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 06, FRIDAY, 8:30 PM
Polish premiere

The Rat's Dilemma
Dylemat Szczura
dir. by Naor Meninghe,
Israel 2015, 10'

During the Holocaust, a talented Jewish physicist named Rudolph is forced to build a time machine for the Nazis. Rudolph keeps telling his Nazi supervisor Heinz that the machine doesn’t work yet, but Heinz suspects Rudolph is hiding something. As Heinz is determined to wring the truth out of him at all costs, Rudolph soon has to face the dilemma of his life...
Language: Hebrew. Subtitles: English, Polish




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 12 PM
Polish premiere

The sir is served
Klient
dir. by Niccolò Piramidal,
Italy 2015, 15'

1944, in a barber’s shop. Beppe, the barber, and his friends, Nanni, a young poet, and Toni, a smuggler in touch with some Jews, with his little son Niccolò, receive the unexpected visit of a Nazi official.
Language: Italian. Subtitles: English, Polish

Short Film Corner at the Festival de Cannes 2015


POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 9 PM
Polish premiere

Mother
Matka
dir. by Iryna Zhygaliuk,
USA 2015, 14'

Set in Ukraine under Nazi occupation, Mother recounts a widowed woman’s struggle for survival with her two children while remaining hidden within the confines of an old barn.
Language: Russian, Ukrainian. Subtitles: English, Polish

Short Film Corner at the Festival de Cannes 2015


Short documentaries

JCC WARSAW: Nov. 03, TUESDYA, 5 PM

We can't come from nothing
Nie przyszli¶my tu znik±d
dir. by Eliane Bots,
Holland 2015, 30'

7 characters and 7 objects they choose to tell 7 intimate, personal stories. How do the lives of our ancestors influence our own lives? How to deal with family history when every trace is lost or kept secret?
Language: English, Polish. Subtitles: Polish




JCC WARSAW: Nov. 03, TUESDAY, 5 PM

Oy Vey
Oy Vey
dir. by Joanna Satanowska,
Poland 2013, 14'

A young director tries to find the truth about her ancestors from Lodz. She searches archives, offices, visits places where they had once lived. She shares all her discoveries with her father, who decides to participate in this quest. Will she discover something that will change her life forever? Language: Polish. Subtitles: English




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 05, THURSDAY, 8:15 PM

Endblum
Endblum
dir. by Wiola Sowa i Dorota Krakowska,
Poland 2015, 7'

Endblum shows the everyday life of the prewar Jewish community in Central and Eastern Europe, and metaphorically, the current absence of Jews. The first, nostalgic part of the film uses the “found footage” method and contains only archival materials. Black-and-white photographs are accompanied by realistic sounds that seem to animate the images. The artists have illustrated the photographs with Jewish music, alluding to the joyful, traditional toast “Lechaim!”. The dynamic sound slowly falls silent and the images fade. The second part of the film consists of contemporary shots of a synagogue combined with the chants of rabbis. We hear the plaintive tones of Kol Nidrei, the temple is empty just like the Aron Kodesh shown in the final scene, the place where the Torah scroll was once placed. All that remains is a splendid building devoid of its original functions. Endblum is a minimalist story about absence.
Language: no dialogues




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 12 PM

Central Park
Central Park
dir. by Tomasz Wi¶niewski,
Polska 2014, 27'

The oldest Jewish cemetery in Bialystok was founded in 1750 and was known as the ‘Cmentarz Rabinacki’ (The Rabbis’ Cemetery). It now lies beneath the park, buried and forgotten under a layer of sand and debris. From 1952 to 1954, Bialystok’s main architect was the engineer Michal Balasz. This 90-year-old man has now decided to tell the truth: over 60 years ago he decided to bury the cemetery in order to create a park. According to Balasz, there are about 1,000 Jewish gravestones lying just under the surface.
Language: Polish. Subtitles: English




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 3:30 PM

Meeting with authors

Picking Up the Pieces
Picking Up the Pieces
dir. by Joshua Tebeau,
USA 2015, 30'

The film explores the perspectives of Holocaust child survivors as they rebuild their lives after the Second World War. The film presents a nuanced and complex portrait of the survivors’ struggles through the lens of key universal questions. Child survivors are now the last living witnesses of the Holocaust. Their struggle, bittersweet reflections, hope and energy are a poignant and uplifting testament to the human spirit.
Language: English. Subtitles: Polish




POLIN Museum, Warsaw: Nov 07, SATURDAY, 4:45 PM
Polish premiere

Our People
Nasz cz³owiek
dir. by Albert Kahn,
USA 2015, 7'

A young Jewish man must choose between tradition and true love when his rabbi father forbids further contact with his secret love interest, a young black woman.
Language: no dialogues