Of Animals and Men

O zwierzętach i ludziach

Watch the trailer
Fot. TVP
Watch the trailer
  • Description
  • Cast and crew
  • Duration: 58', 70'
  • Genre: PEOPLE/HISTORY
  • Resolution: HD
  • Year: 2019

Every zoo aims to protect animal species from extinction. During WWII, the Warsaw Zoo carried out its function in a rebellious manner. Once the war began, the Germans killed some animals and transferred the others to the Third Reich. The abandoned enclosures were taken over by the species most endangered by warfare: the man. The Jews escaping the inevitable death and the Home Army soldiers found shelter in the empty stables, kennels, and aviaries as well as in the house of Jan Żabiński, the then Director. The zoo offered a hiding place – sometimes for a day, rarely for a few months – to several hundred people. The exact number remains unknown. The film tries to tell this incredible story using metaphorical shots of animals, abundant archive footage, and interviews with the last living witnesses.


Add to my list My list Ask for an offer

Similar

Heritage history, people

Paweł and Franciszek Buchalik were just simple boys from the small village of Gotartowice in Silesia. They were primary school students and boy scouts. Funnily enough, they had the same last name even though there were not...

Ukrainer people

The documentary presents different paths that emigrants from Ukraine have chosen after leaving their country. It shows how they try to make a new life for themselves in Polish cities and towns. They work in offices and local...

We Stood Bravely, and Threw Accurately history

This is a documentary about the tragic events of December 1970, when the workers’ revolt across Poland caused by a sudden increase in food prices and other everyday items, was brutally suppressed. The film is based on recently...