On October 13th, students of the Warsaw Film School took part in the first workshop of the Bearers of Memoryprogramme, held in Warsaw within the framework of the European project Le Case di Micòl. The workshop was led by Małgorzata Kosieniak and marked the beginning of an educational and reflective pathway focused on Holocaust memory.
The session opened with the screening of an animated short film created by Gabi Bania, a former student of the school. The animation visually interprets the poem Execution of Memory by Jerzy Ficowski, taken from the collection Reading the Ashes. Through symbolic and metaphorical language, the film addresses the “demons of the past” and the difficulty — yet necessity — of confronting painful and distant histories.
From this starting point, the workshop expanded into a broader discussion on the Shoah. Students reflected on what happened in Treblinka and Auschwitz, but also on the long history of Jewish presence in Poland and its fundamental contribution to Polish culture over nearly a thousand years.
Particular attention was given to understanding why the Holocaust is considered one of the gravest crimes against humanity: the industrial nature of the killing process, the systematic dehumanisation of victims, and the involvement of the Nazi state apparatus.
A central part of the workshop focused on emotions. Students openly shared feelings of compassion, anger, and helplessness. As emphasised during the discussion, these events are not abstract or distant: they took place in the same cities and spaces that we still inhabit today.
The workshop concluded with a collective exploration of Jewish heritage in Warsaw and Poland, including traditions, language, cuisine, and everyday life.
More than a history lesson, the meeting became an experience of shared reflection, responsibility, and active memory.