Glass Negatives

Courtesy of production.

Szklane negatywy | Jan Borowiec | Poland, 2019 | Polish/Hebrew/English (English subtitles) | Documentary | 39m | Distributor/Sales: Go2Films | Festival marketing sample: Krakow International Film Festival 2020

Description: While volunteering at the Grodzka Gate NN Theatre, a cultural heritage research institution in Lublin, Poland, Tal Schwartz, a young Israeli woman, researched a collection of glass negatives found in an attic of a building that was being converted into a pub. The found images, mostly portraits, offer a rich kaleidoscope of prewar life in the city. About a third of Lublin’s population at the time was Jewish and many images appear to be of them. That community almost entirely perished. In addition to presenting many stills, the film features interviews with some witnesses in Poland. It follows Schwartz to Israel as she tries to learn about the photographer and his subjects at the Yad Vashem archives in Jerusalem. A photographic souvenir pamphlet she finds there leads her to Bnei Brak, where the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva (ישיבת חכמי לובלין‎) was re-established. Only in the final credit sequence is it revealed that the author of the photographs is now believed to be Abram Zybelberg.

Merits: Despite the research efforts, most facts appear shrouded in mystery. We learn almost nothing about Zybelberg. What remain are his evocative images of a disappeared world, set to an atmospheric score by Kroke, a local instrumental ensemble whose name means ‘Krakow’ in Yiddish.

Rating: Suitable for all audiences.

Programming considerations: Consider double billing with Zlota Street for a contemporary perspective on Jewish life in Poland.