A unique story, told here for the first time. Hanna Mandelberger, a 12 year old girl who fled the ghetto, roams the street of Warsaw looking for something to eat. Out of nowhere, a light is shining; Hanna barely makes it to a doorstep before collapsing. Hanna will eventually tell the Mother Superior she is a Polish Catholic, 15 years old, from the City of Lodge . At that very moment, Hanna Mandelberg no longer exists… Anna stays in the monastery for a couple of years, and decides, against all odds, to survive. Thus, she erases her childhood memories, and fully identifies with her new role as a Catholic nun. As such, she also serves as an emissary for the Polish underground, risking her life transmitting letters and weapons to different agents throughout Poland . Father Karl Wojtyla, whom she loves and cherishes, placed the Prosphora on her tongue during communion. Forty years later, Hanna Avrutzky travels to the Vatican to meet an old friend: Karl Wojtyla, who, in meantime, has become Pope John Paul II.


Hanuszka

Doc, 65 min, 2006

Directed & Produced by: Nurit Kedar
Written by: Omri Levy
Sponsered by: Yes Doco , Israel & Makor Foundation for Israeli Films
Language: Hebrew and Polish with English subtitles

DVD - For Home Use Only :
$29.90

Synopsis


A unique story, told here for the first time. Hanna Mandelberger, a 12 year old girl who fled the ghetto, roams the street of Warsaw looking for something to eat. Out of nowhere, a light is shining; Hanna barely makes it to a doorstep before collapsing. Hanna will eventually tell the Mother Superior she is a Polish Catholic, 15 years old, from the City of Lodge . At that very moment, Hanna Mandelberg no longer exists… Anna stays in the monastery for a couple of years, and decides, against all odds, to survive. Thus, she erases her childhood memories, and fully identifies with her new role as a Catholic nun. As such, she also serves as an...

Awards

  • Second Prize – Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, Poland, 2006

Festivals

  • Israeli Documentary Film Festival, Budapest, Hungary, 2012
  • Forum of Israeli Cinema, St. Petersburg, Russia, 2008
  • Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2008
  • Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2007

Additional info

Gallery

Press & Links:

  • "A young Jewish girl survived the Holocaust with a profound love for Pope John Paul II. Hanuszka blends documentary and narrative elements to tell Hanna Mandelberger’s atypical story of survival, escaping the Warsaw Ghetto and finding refuge in a convent."

    For the entire review, check: http://tjctv.com/movies/hanuszka

Festivals

  • Israeli Documentary Film Festival, Budapest, Hungary, 2012
  • Forum of Israeli Cinema, St. Petersburg, Russia, 2008
  • Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2008
  • Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2007
  • Syracuse International Film Festival, USA, 2007
  • Cucalorus International Film Festival, USA, 2006
  • The Yerba Buena Theater, San Francisco, USA, 2007
  • Hamptons International Film Festival, USA, 2006
  • Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, Poland, 2006
  • Religion Today International Film Festival, Trento, Italy, 2006
  • Holy Land in the Heartland, USA, 2006
  • DocAviv International Film Festival, Israel, 2006

Educational

  • US Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Library of Congress
  • Duke University
  • Ohio State University
  • Arizona State University

Awards

  • Second Prize – Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, Poland, 2006