Eric Bednarski

In 1941, soon after the Nazis created Warsaw’s Jewish Ghetto, a Polish amateur 8mm camera enthusiast shot a remarkable 10-minute film from both sides of the ghetto walls. This never-before-seen footage is woven into the feature-length documentary Warsaw: A City Divided, acting as a silent witness to the wartime division of the city and tragic murder of thousands of its inhabitants. In addition to this footage, the film includes interviews with ghetto survivors and witnesses who still call Warsaw their home, as well as commentary from architects, urban historians, and the Chief Rabbi of Poland, who examine the chilling Nazi vision for Warsaw.

Making use of little-known German documents, Warsaw: A City Divided sheds new light on the insidious Nazi process that culminated in the near total destruction of this once vibrantly multicultural city. At the same time, the film shows a thriving modern metropolis still coming to terms with its traumatic past. By interweaving this rich material, the film affirms the importance—and the difficulty—of remembering. Eric Bednarski, the film’s award-winning director, joins us for a virtual Q&A session and discussion after the screening. (71 mins., MP4)

Please note: this event was rescheduled from an earlier date.
Closed captioning available in the video.