Documentary Features
AMONG NEIGHBORS
Director: Yoav Potash. Executive Producer: Anita Friedman. Directors of Animation: Marcin Podolec, José Garnelo, USA, Poland, 2024, 103 min
WORLD PREMIERE. CLOSING GALA. Q&A WITH PRODUCER/DIRECTOR YOAV POTASH, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ANITA FRIEDMAN, AND INDIVIDUALS FROM THE FILM. Combining evocative hand-drawn animation with revelatory interviews and verité footage, "Among Neighbors" examines Jewish-Polish relations through the story of Gniewoszów, a small, rural town where Jews and Polish Catholics lived side by side for centuries. At its core, the film zeroes in on the last living Holocaust survivor from the town, and an aging eyewitness who saw Jews murdered there — n ... read more
10.11, Sunday | 19:00 | Muzeum POLIN
CUSTARYANS / Bewariërs
Sanne Kortooms, Timon Moll, Netherlands, 2023, 70 min
Three stories about Jewish possessions stored during the Second World War, their Jewish owners and their non-Jewish protectors. In the 70-minute documentary CUSTARYANS, three stories are told about Jewish possessions stored during the Second World War, their Jewish owners and their non-Jewish protectors. All this against the background of the post-war period, which was not just one of reconstruction and togetherness. Rising anti-Semitism, excessive bureaucracy that made restoration of human rights impossible, focusing solely on the heroic d ... read more
08.11, Friday | 20:00 | KINO MURANÓW
JEWS BY CHOICE
Justyna Gawełko, Tomer Slutzky, Poland, Israel, USA, 2024, 77’ min
In a picturesque Czech town, an alliance of ordinary citizens become inspired to renovate their local synagogue, convert to Judaism, and give birth to the first Jewish community in the region since the Holocaust. The small Czech city of Karniów near the Polish border was for centuries home to a thriving Jewish community. After the war and the Holocaust, all that remained there was an impressive 19th-century synagogue, which was ruined by a flood in 1997. And it was the idea to restore it to its former glory that led a group of enthusiasts ... read more
07.11, Thursday | 18:00 | KINO MURANÓW
MY FATHER’S CASTLE (Le château de mon père)
Filip Flatau, France, 2023, 52 min
Krzysztof, 82, is obsessed with the idea of leaving Paris and moving to Poznan - the city where he spent his early years. His son, who is accompanying him with a camera, tries to understand his motivation. It's the story of a Jewish child who grows up under the German occupation, without a father and without knowing who he really is. It's the story of a lonely teenage boy who, after his Catholic First Communion, learns from an anonymous letter that he is Jewish. It's the story of a man who one day decides to flee communist Poland. Now, half ... read more
09.11, Saturday | 16:00 | Muzeum POLIN
Porcelain War
Slava Leontyev, Brendan Bellomo, Ukraine, USA, Australia, 2024, 88 min
Amidst the chaos and destruction of the ruthless Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists defiantly find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, armed with their art, and, for the first time in their lives, the guns. As the fighting intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film the story, and on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, unce ... read more
07.11, Thursday | 20:15 | KINO MURANÓW
The Deluge. Postscriptum
Łukasz Czajka, Poland, 2024, 54’ min
“The Deluge. Postscriptum” looks behind the scenes of the making of the cult Polish historical film, nominated for an Oscar in 1974. It is also a colorful chapter from the life of its maker. THE DELUGE was a monumental work in every respect. 286 minutes of the original version, 535 shooting days, 23,000 costumes, a record budget and 27 million viewers in cinemas. It stirred up emotions from the very beginning, when the whole of Poland trembled at the news that Kmicic was to be played by Daniel Olbrychski, i.e. Azja Tuhajbejowicz from COL ... read more