Give as a gift
If you would like to donate to support our efforts, you can do so by clicking here. You can also experience all the films streaming in the Festival's virtual program by purchasing an All-Access Virtual Pass by clicking here.
In 1945, an SS officer was shot by a Jewish woman near the gas chamber in Auschwitz. It is said that the act of heroism was done by Francesca Mann, a Jewish dancer from Warsaw. This act of heroism did not receive the resonance it deserved, perhaps because of the rumors that Francesca was an accomplice.
The multitude of versions gave birth to a myth, built on a grain of truth (the officer was shot and died by a woman, the shooting was carried out with his gun). Francesca left behind almost nothing – a few photos, a few press articles about her appearances in Warsaw before the war and an abundance of different and contradictory testimonies about her conduct during the war.
The filmmakers weaved the historical stories and built the myth – Francesca. The myth takes on and unfolds in form according to the age and its world. A balladeer/ dancer/ stripper/ partner, what of all these was she?
Nominated - Best Israeli Film Docaviv 2024
Sponsored by Phyllis H. Cohen
- Year2024
- Runtime64 minutes
- LanguagePolish, Slovak, Yiddish, Hebrew
- CountryIsrael
- PremiereUS
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorLina Chaplin
- ScreenwriterLina Chaplin, Bracha Zisman Cohen, Daniela Reiss
- CinematographerItzik Portal
- EditorBracha Zisman Cohen
- Production DesignDaniela Reiss
- Sound DesignRotem Dror
- MusicDidi Erez
If you would like to donate to support our efforts, you can do so by clicking here. You can also experience all the films streaming in the Festival's virtual program by purchasing an All-Access Virtual Pass by clicking here.
In 1945, an SS officer was shot by a Jewish woman near the gas chamber in Auschwitz. It is said that the act of heroism was done by Francesca Mann, a Jewish dancer from Warsaw. This act of heroism did not receive the resonance it deserved, perhaps because of the rumors that Francesca was an accomplice.
The multitude of versions gave birth to a myth, built on a grain of truth (the officer was shot and died by a woman, the shooting was carried out with his gun). Francesca left behind almost nothing – a few photos, a few press articles about her appearances in Warsaw before the war and an abundance of different and contradictory testimonies about her conduct during the war.
The filmmakers weaved the historical stories and built the myth – Francesca. The myth takes on and unfolds in form according to the age and its world. A balladeer/ dancer/ stripper/ partner, what of all these was she?
Nominated - Best Israeli Film Docaviv 2024
Sponsored by Phyllis H. Cohen
- Year2024
- Runtime64 minutes
- LanguagePolish, Slovak, Yiddish, Hebrew
- CountryIsrael
- PremiereUS
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorLina Chaplin
- ScreenwriterLina Chaplin, Bracha Zisman Cohen, Daniela Reiss
- CinematographerItzik Portal
- EditorBracha Zisman Cohen
- Production DesignDaniela Reiss
- Sound DesignRotem Dror
- MusicDidi Erez
