Philadelphia Premiere
Joanna

The Gershman Y
Monday, November 12, 2012 / 7:30 PM

Director: Feliks Falk
Poland, 2010, 105 minutes
In Polish and German w/ English subtitles
*contains nudity

Feliks Falk, one of Poland's most renowned directors and co-creator of the "cinema of moral anxiety" movement with Krzysztof Kieslowski, brings us a haunting depiction of everyday life in Warsaw during the German occupation. Joanna, struggling to make ends meet in dire economic straits while waiting for the return of her missing husband, witnesses a seizure of Jews in which a young girl is separated from her mother. Torn between her own safety and sympathy for the abandoned child, Joanna must decide how far she is willing to go to save a human life. Urszula Grabowska delivers a brilliant performance as the title character, winning the Best Actress Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival in 2011.

Guest speakers: Dr. Michael Steinlauf, Professor of History and Director, Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program at Gratz College; Alex Redner, Polish Holocaust Survivor

Fall Film Festival sponsored by SEED THE DREAM FOUNDATION, Marcy Gringlas & Joel Greenberg