This uncompleted, new motion picture project is from Minna Packer. The dramatic film is inspired by the true story of a Jewish dwarf in Gombin who miraculously survived the Holocaust. The story tells us a great deal about the relationships between Jews and Poles in pre-war Poland. Clips from the trailer are available.
A review by Ronit Treatman, was published in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice, April 20, 2014. “ The Lilliput will illustrate how Abraham Kerber was able to defeat the odds of surviving the war by using his weaknesses as strengths. This dark fairy tale, which is being shot in Gąbin and Łodz, Poland, promises to be one of the most moving new films being produced about the Holocaust. But this is much more than a Holocaust story; it’s a tale about the complex lives in these multicultural communities and about love. “Umchik was a photographer and an ardent Zionist. His best friend was Esther, a Jewish woman who converted to Christianity to marry a gentile. Her family and community disowned her for making this choice, and Abraham remained her only friend. As the war progressed, Umchik and Esther supported and understood each other as no one else could. “When the war was over, Umchik moved to Israel. He settled in Kiryat Tivon, and worked as a journalist and photographer. He died on April 19, 1978, and was buried in Kiryat Tivon. The names of his relatives who perished in the Holocaust were etched on his tombstone. The final inscription reads, “G-d will avenge their blood.” “The script was written by filmmaker, screenwriter and producer Minna Packer. She is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, the Pratt Institute, and a Fullbright scholar at the Lodz Film School. She previously directed and produced the documentary Back to Gombin.”
