263 Nights

It seemed that the Minsk ghetto was completely destroyed. But putting a check mark in the appropriate box, the punishers did not know that people continue to live on its territory.


Background

It seemed that the Minsk ghetto was completely destroyed.  But putting a check mark in the appropriate box, the punishers did not know that people continue to live on its territory. Several families hid in the basement of a house on Sukhoi Street.  There, underground, in the rat-infested darkness, they spent 263 days and nights – until the liberation of Minsk.

Another miracle of salvation occurred in Krupki – a small town where the Nazis killed almost 2 thousand Jews. One woman managed to escape from certain death three times. Thanks to this, her son was born, who can now share this incredible story with us. The film allows you to see the dramatic events of the war not only through the memories of eyewitnesses, but also through the eyes of modern children.  It’s like building a connection between generations, restoring a thread of memory. After all, as one of the young heroes said, a person lives as long as someone remembers him

Biographies

Vladimir BOKUN, Producer 

Vladimir BOKUN born in Belarus in 1952. Graduated from Belorussan Art Academy in 1979 (with honor diploma). Created as film direcor more than 50 documentaries and 2 fictures films. Vladimir BOKUN found in 2003 “Vladimir Bokun Studio” 

As producer Vladimir BOKUN made 150 documentary films showing the historic events that were little known to the public. Films of this studio were several times awarded  prizes of international festivals and various contests held in Belarus. The company founded “Schtetele” association which is involved in the Jewish subject. The association has accumulated a great amount of their own materials on the history of the holocaust in Belarus. The major part of these materials was contributed to the funds of the Israel Film Archives – Jerusalem Cinematheque; we also cooperate with Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archives (US Holocaust Memorial Museum), and have an encouraging support from the Union of Belarussian Jewish societies and communes. 

Vladimir Lutsky, Film director 

Film director of the “Countdown” project, the “Chronicle of the Minsk Ghetto” trilogy. In 2014, for the film “Chronicle of the Minsk Ghetto”, he received the main prize of the V International Festival of Historical and Military Cinema in Warsaw, the winner of the National Television competition “Televershina” in the nomination “Best Documentary”. Winner of the “TEFI” award and the winner of the “Televershina” in the nomination “Best Director” (2015). 

Boris Gersten, Screenwriter 

Born in 1947 in Ukraine. Graduated from Belarusian State University as a journalist.  

Worked in newspapers, since 1977 at TV. Occupations: reporter, head of a sports department of the Belarusian state broadcasting company. Worked at the Olympic and Paralympic Games from 1996 to 2006. 

Screenwriter more than 50 documentary. The owner of prizes of international sport film festivals in Kaunas (1986) and Moscow (1993). Winner of national television prizes. The screenwriter of  some films on subjects of a Holocaust and the Jewish life (“the Belarusian Jerusalem”, “Himmler’s List”, “Trostenets – the avenue of death”, ” The Shtetele” and others. 

Year
2021

Film Type
Documentary

Film Length
27 minutes

Director
Vladimir Lutsky

Producer
Vladimir Bokun

Screenplay
Boris Gersten

Assistant Director
Irina Vasilyeva

Director of Photography
Maxim Kurovsky

Sound Engineer
Innokenty Sichkar

Lighting Technician

Dmitry Reshetov

Editing
Ilya Svirin

Sound Design
Maxim Volodin

Editing and Graphics
Alexey Turanov


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