Israel 2024, 64 min, Hebrew, Polish, Slovak and Yiddish, Hebrew & English subtitles

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 warת 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?

Created by: Lina Chaplin, Bracha Zisman Cohen, Daniela Reiss

Screening Schedule:
  • Sat 25.05 | 14:30 | Cinematheque 3 | Filmmaker Present
  • Mon 27.05 | 16:00 | Cinematheque 1
  • יום ה' 30.05 | 14:00 | Cinematheque 1 | Filmmaker Present | After the screening, a Q&A session with the filmmakers will be moderated by Noa Aharoni.

Lina Chaplin was born in Moscow. Graduated from the All-Soviet State Film Institute in Moscow as film director. (VGIK). In 1976 repatriated in Israel. In Russia and in Israel, directed over 60 documentaries.

Created by: Lina Chaplin, Bracha Zisman Cohen, Daniela Reiss
Production: Daniela Reiss
Script: Bracha Zisman Cohen, Lina Chaplin
Editing: Bracha Zisman Cohen
Cinematography: Itzik Portal
Research: Kasia Iskra, Matan Shefi, Daniela Reiss
Sound Design: Rotem Dror
Music: Didi Erez

Supporters & Broadcasters: Yes Docu, Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, The New Fund for Cinema and TV, Mifal HaPayis