Original Film Title: Жовта зірка
Director’s Name: Skobun Skobun
Writer’s Name: Skobun Skobun
Producer: Bokaturo Nadiia, Skobun Alina, Petrashiuk Darina
Country of Origin: Ukraine
Country of Filming: Ukraine
Language: Ukrainian
Runtime: 17 minutes 31 seconds
Film Description:
1941. A small Ukrainian town occupied by German troops, where the Nazis organized the Ghetto. Nearby lives the family of janitor Peter, who works in the Ghetto and has unlimited access there. Peter’s son, Mykolka, constantly takes food out of the house, which the family lacks so much. The father beats the son, but it does not affect the boy’s actions: he humbly accepts the frequent punishments and is silent about his motivation. A Jewish family Liberblum, who are living in the Ghetto, learns about a Nazi-planned operation to send children from the Ghetto to a concentration camp. Parents are trying to save their son Jacob and daughter Raia from this. However, no one can help them. The only person, their last chance, is the janitor Peter, who can take the children to the dump at night. But the janitor flatly refuses to help the Jews, fearing for his own life and the safety of his family. Peter decides to follow his son, who again brings out the food and makes a shocking discovery: Mykolka throws food over the fence of the ghetto to Raia Liberblum, with whom he is in love from school. The father reconsiders his son’s behavior and decides to help the Jewish family, provided that he takes only one child out of the Ghetto. Little Nikolay becomes aware of this. The Liberblum couple face a difficult choice – who to save? Son or daughter? They draw lots. Arriving at night, Peter and Liberblums try to hide Raia in a dumpster, but it drags on. Mykolka follows her father through a hole in the fence on the other side of the Ghetto barriers. He is glad that Raia was chosen. The guy notices the Nazis approaching the house. He can’t shout at his father. The only thing he decides is to take the stone in his hands and attract the attention of the soldiers.
