The Partisan with the Leica Camera

This powerful film commemorates and brings to light for the first time the story of Mundek Lukawiecki and his wife Hannah Bern, courageous Jewish fighters who despite unimaginable odds, fought back fiercely against Hitler’s war machine alongside Polish Partisans hiding in the forests. They banded together with 40 other Partisans carrying out deadly acts of sabotage, staging ambushes, and waging clandestine warfare against the Nazis and their collaborators. After the war, they arrived in newly-founded Israel and started a new life. Decades later, their secret story is revealed when their 65-year-old son discovers that his parents were the commanders of a Polish Partisan squad that operated during the Holocaust. The shocking facts are backed by unique photos taken in the forest by Mundek Lukawiecki, the Partisan, on his Leica camera, which offered an incredibly rare glimpse into the life of the Partisans. Heartfelt and thoroughly inspiring, The Partisan with the Leica Camera illuminates the many ways in which Jews resisted the Nazis — and honors the soulful bravery, cleverness, and leadership of the Partisans. (Miami Jewish Film Festival)