Still Life in Lodz

1h 15m
- Documentary

Release Date: Mar 12, 2021

A 75 year old painting in one apartment becomes an investigation into the power of memory, art, time and resilience. An ode to the lost generations of Jewish Lodz, in three completely different eras. One Painting. A Century of Jewish Life.

Official Website

Note: LogTV Films

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Director & Top Cast

Slawomir Grunberg
Director

Roni Ben Ari
Actor

Paul Celler
Actor

Lilka Elbaum
Actor

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Flat (1.85 : 1)

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 HD

Other Details

Country of Origin: Poland

Language: English

Showtimes

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Summaries

Plot Summary

A large still-life painting hung on the wall above Lilka Elbaum's childhood bed in Lodz, Poland. It was the first thing she saw when she woke up, and the last thing she saw before she fell asleep.This painting hung on this very spot perhaps since the building was first inhabited in the late 1890s. Until the war these were Jewish families, then during the war, a German family, and then after the war, Lilka's Jewish family. Hence, the painting ultimately became a silent witness to the tragic history of Lodz's Jews. The painting was removed from the apartment in October 1968, when Lilka's family, along with the majority of Polish Jews, were expelled from Poland.In the film "Still Life in Lodz", the metaphor of the painting is used to tell the story of Lilka Elbaum, now living in Boston, who returns to Lodz in search of objects from her memory. In her journey Lilka is accompanied by Paul Celler, a New Yorker and Roni Ben Ari, an Israeli with shared histories, which bind them to Lodz and the quest to find traces of family memories.Director Slawomir Grünberg, an outstanding documentary filmmaker and prestigious Emmy-award winner, tells the story of the once vibrant Jewish community in Lodz, its almost total destruction during the Shoah, its post-war revival, expulsion from Poland in 1968, and finally, its present-day Jewish community. Using an innovative format, this historical essay combines unique archival materials, authentic drawings from the Ghetto, elements of the modern language of creative animation and special effects with the modern documentary scenes.

Storyline

A 75 year old painting in one apartment becomes an investigation into the power of memory, art, time and resilience. An ode to the lost generations of Jewish Lodz, in three completely different eras. One Painting. A Century of Jewish Life.

Still Life in Lodz

Director & Top Cast

Slawomir Grunberg

Roni Ben Ari