Friends. Portraits from Memory is a film that is a testament of Poles rescued from the Holocaust, inmates of the first transport to Auschwitz. About three hundred of them survived the camp, and a few are alive today. Throughout their lives they have given their testimony of the cruelty of the concentration camps, appealing for peace between the world's nations. They preserve the memory of the victims -- those friends who lost their lives because they were Poles, Jews, Russians or representatives of other nations that were slated for annihilation.

- "None of us knew what Auschwitz was...We thought we were going to do forced labour in Germany," recalls Stanisław Szpunar (prisoner number 131). He was greeted at the camp by a group of the German tormentors with beatings and verbal abuse. His struggle for survival began on 14 June.

Those present, the 728 Polish political prisoners, were not only the first victims of the German concentration camp, but also the organisers of and active participants in the resistance movement at Auschwitz. They were to inform the free world of the crimes of the Nazis. The importance of this is still great today, as even now there are incidents of speeches by politicians and articles in foreign publications that imply Polish responsibility for the crimes of German Nazis.

The day of 14 June -- the anniversary of first transport of Polish political prisoners to Auschwitz -- has been declared by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland as National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Nazi Concentration Camps.

Title: Friends. Portraits from Memory
Screenplay and direction: Gabriela Mruszczak
Photography and editing: Gabriela Mruszczak
Animation: Paulina Sobczak
Directorial supervision: Cezary Nowicki
Historical consultation: Dr Franciszek Piper
Producer: Bogusław Sobczak
Running time: 26 minutes
Production: OFF-LIMITS Agencja Filmowa
Translation: ExLibro -- Translation and Publishing Services

Special thanks to the Correctional Facility in Tarnów, Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the the State School of Higher Education in Oświęcim

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