THE LAST STAGE

Only two years after the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Wanda Jakubowska returns to the very same places where she and so many others had been tortured and murdered. Ostatni Etap’s authenticity derived from its basis in Jakbowska’s own experiences, as well as the former prisoners who function as actors and speak in their original languages. The film’s story is grasping yet touching. Central to the storyline is the Jewish woman Marta Weiss who joins a resistance group of women who are put all their efforts in surviving until the Red Army will arrive and liberate them. Originally filmed in 1948, this film has recently been restored and therefore a must-see in this year’s program.

Wanda Jakubowska, PL 1948 Feature Film | 107 min | Pol. OV with Eng. sub