Marek Edelman …and There Was Love in the Ghetto

  • a film by Jolanta Dylewska, Andrzej Wajda
  • feature film
  • 80 min.
  • 2019

Why doesn’t anybody ask me if there was love in the ghetto? [...] Love made us survive."—Marek Edelman calls for a film about love as the ultimate value in the Warsaw Ghetto hell.

Info
  • Genre

    • Essayistic Feature-Length Documentary
  • Countries of Production

    • Germany / Poland
  • Language

    • (OV) Polish
  • World premiere

    • 29th April 2019 – hotDOCS FF Toronto
  • German cinema release

    • 8th September 2022
  • a production by

    • Pallas Film and Otter Films
  • with the support of

    • MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Eurimages – Conseil de l'Europe, FFA – Filmförderanstalt, Creative Europe, Polish Film Institute, Mazovia & Warsaw Film Fund
  • World Sales

    • German Documentaries Service (GDS)
  • Distribution

    • Pallas Film
Synopsis

The film comes to some extent out of a call by Marek Edelman, the former commander of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising who witnessed the extermination in the Warsaw Ghetto throughout its existence. In 2009, he published a book based on his own experience I BYŁA MIŁOŚD W GETCIE… (AND THERE WAS LOVE IN THE GHETTO…)

Why doesn’t anybody ask me if there was love in the ghetto? Why is nobody interested in this subject? Someone should make a film about love in the ghetto. It was love that let us survive.
This is how the book ends. Because love in Marek Edelman’s book proves to be the most important value, even more precious than life.

And this is what the film is about.

Cast
  • Narrator

    • Marek Edelman
  • Dola

    • Aleksandra Poplawska
  • Ethnic German

    • Marek Kalita
  • Mrs. Tennenbaum

    • Alina Swidowska
  • Deda

    • Maria Semotiuk
  • Deda’s friend

    • Eryk Kulm
  • Landlady

    • Aleksandra Justa
  • Tosia

    • Kamilla Baar
  • Old Jew

    • Lech Mackiewicz
  • Hendusia Himelfarb

    • Julia Sierakowska
  • Pola Lifszyc

    • Patrycja Rojecka
  • Piotr Zurawski

    • Janek Bilak
Crew
  • Written by

    • Jolanta Dylewska, Agnieszka Holland
  • Directed by

    • Jolanta Dylewska, Andrzej Wajda
  • Producers

    • Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Anna Wydra
  • Director of photography

    • Jakub Kijowski, Jolanta Dylewska
  • Editor

    • Izabela Pajak
  • Set design

    • Anna Wunderlich, Marcin Aziukiewicz
  • Casting

    • Ewa Brodzka, Etl Szyc
  • production manager

    • Marta Golba, Joanna Szymańska
  • Line producer

    • Anna Wydra
  • Location Sound

    • Zofia Moruś, Paulina Bochenska, Aleksandra Pniak
  • Make up

    • Olga Nejbauer, Ewa Kowalewska
  • Costumes

    • Marta Ostrowicz
Festivals
  • Docs Against Gravity FF, Warsaw (Jury Special Mention)
  • hotDOCS FF, Toronto
  • Festiwal Filmu i Sztuki Dwa Brzegi, Warsaw
  • HER DOCS, Warsaw
  • Energa CAMERIMAGE IFF, Toruń
  • IFF Triest
  • ASTRA FFF, Sibiu Romania
  • Polish FF Kinoteka, London
  • Polish FF in America, Chicago
Awards
  • Golden Frog for Jakub Kijowski, Jolanta Dylewska (Best Camera) / CAMERIMAGE
  • Best Documentary / Polish Film Academy Awards - Orły

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