Experiencing Interruptions?

BROKEN DREAMS

The compelling story of two Jewish teenage sisters struggling to survive the Holocaust in Nazi occupied Poland. They are both talented: Ariana Elizabeth Bellak (born Ariana Spiegel), a child prodigy, performs on stage in Warsaw shortly before the war. She sings, plays piano, and recites poems. She also appears in several feature films by famous Polish directors and is commonly referred to as the "Polish Shirley Temple". She is nine years old when the war starts. Renia is more introverted, romantic and sensitive. She is a gifted poet who keeps a diary spanning the years 1939 to 1942. Ariana, who currently lives in New York, narrates her story on screen. Her narration intertwines with text from Renia's diary recited by Aleksandra Bernatek, an actress from their home town of Przemysl.

  • Tomasz Magierski
    Director
  • Tomasz Magierski
    Writer
  • Tomasz Magierski, TVP, FINA
    Producer
  • Elizabeth Bellak
    Key Cast
    "herself"
  • Aleksandra Bernatek
    Key Cast
    "Renia Spiegel"
  • Maciej Magowski
    Director of Photography
  • Guy Gross
    Music
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Przemyśl, Złamane Marzenia
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    70,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Poland, United States
  • Language:
    English, Polish
  • Shooting Format:
    DIGITAL
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Los Angeles
    United States
    December 6, 2019
    US premiere
  • NEW YORK
    United States
    December 20, 2019
Director Biography - Tomasz Magierski

Tomasz Magierski has directed a number of documentary films, most recently "Broken Dreams" (Przemyśl, Złamane Marzenia") a film about two talented sisters from Przemyśl trying to survive the Holocaust in Nazi occupied Poland. Another one is an award-winning documentary: "303" on the history of the "Polish Squadron" during the Battle of Britain. Another award winning film of his is Blinky&Me, a story about Yoram Gross, the creator of the animated character Blinky Bill. His films Ferry 93 and Border center on social justice. Ferry 93 explores the situation of Polish refugees during martial law who emigrated to Sweden. Border uncovers manipulations by city authorities in Hanover, Germany, in order to discriminate against homeless people. My Father the Luo (2008) is a film about finding one's identity. The main character is Roma Ndolo, a young woman who grew up in Germany with parents from Poland and Kenya. She had always longed to find out more about her "African side”, so she travels to her late father's homeland and recognizes the parallels between her own life and that of President Barack Obama. Tomasz Magierski was educated at the Film Academy of Lodz, Poland, majoring in cinematography. He lives in New York City.

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