The Szczecin University Institute of History and International Relations is regularly involved in the development of the History ‒ Politics ‒ Film block. Other organizations concerned with historical issues are also invited to participate (e.g. the Institute of National Remembrance and the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation). As part of this block, dokumentART viewers have seen many important films dealing with contemporary history, e.g. Fotoamator (Dariusz Jabłoński, Poland, 1998), Trzej kumple (Three Buddies; Anna Ferens, Poland, 2008).
A few years ago, Berlin-born Alexa Karolinski set out to make a cookbook project of her grandmother’s delicious Jewish dishes, but in capturing her warm, familial kitchen on camera as part of her research, she realized there was more to share than a few recipes. “Oma & Bella”, the feature documentary that resulted, is a touching portrait of two spirited characters – Alexa’s grandmother and her good friend and roommate Bella, a fellow Holocaust survivor. With practiced hands, they prepare meal after meal in their fully stocked West Berlin kitchen, all the while sharing engaging stories about their past. Some are endearing memories of dance clubs and heartthrobs, some very difficult recollections of their time spent in Nazi concentration camps. Their sincerity and outpouring of warmth are magnetic, and it is almost impossible not to fall in love with them by the end of the film.
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At the decline of the People's Republic of Poland there was a shortage of everything in shops: from toilet paper to shoes. The documentary film “Packs of Solidarity” tells about a spontaneous movement started by Germans from the Federal Republic of Germany who wanted to support Poles. In February 1982, after Bundestag removed the postage from aid packages for Poles, there was a record of 70 thousand packages with daily necessities and things for conspiracy sent per one day. In the film we will see the heroes of that story: those whose faces and names are barely known (if at all), as well as those from history books.
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