During the premiere of “Irina's Oath” held in Warsaw on April 16, actor Andrzej Swerin spoke in an interview with Opoka about the most touching moments during the production. In the Polish-Canadian war drama he plays the role of German Schulz.
“What moves me most is the heroism of this little girl and what she accomplished. Irina Gott was only 19 years old and decided to save a group of Jews. What is extraordinary is how she did it: she sacrificed her dignity, her female body – it is something completely extraordinary. I was moved By the fact that she remained silent for so many years. People who survived the concentration camps, who suffered the tragedy of World War II, remained silent for years. “It was not without reason,” the actor said.
He added that the post-war fate of Wehrmacht Major Eduard Rogmer was equally extraordinary, as Irina Gott, his personal maid, decided, in his villa in Tarnopol, to hide Jews from the Tarnopol ghetto. When the Major discovered the hiding place, he decided to help Irina. After the war, Rugmer returned to his hometown, Nuremberg. When his relatives discovered that he was hiding Jews, they did not return him. This information reached Ida and Lazar Haller, Jewish survivors in Munich. They tracked down Rogmer and welcomed him into their home. The Jews who lived in his basement now provided shelter to the former Nazis, who had become part of their family. Like Irina, he was honored with the Righteous Among the Nations Medal.
“The Jews who were saved by the major called on him to be the godfather of their children. It's so touching that it actually… squeezes your throat and that's it,” the actor said.
As Andrzej Seweryn pointed out in his talk The plot of the attempted abortion by Ida and Laser Haller appears in the film. The Jewish couple, who have been hiding in the basement of Major Irina's villa for fear of being exposed, decide to terminate the pregnancy. Irina strongly disagrees, citing her faith in God and the oath she swore after seeing with her own eyes a German officer murder a mother and her child. There was nothing she could do. She swore then that if she could save someone's life, she would do it. Thanks to her position, Roman Haller, who was saved from miscarriage, was born and was present at the premiere.
“This child would not have been saved without Schulz. His supportive involvement in helping the Jews is an attempt at catharsis on his part. After all, he was an element of the fascist Nazi regime. […] Certainly his silence was what he needed to obtain some kind of forgiveness, perhaps from God or from himself. But crimes cannot be erased. Crime is crime. This is not a film about moral relativism. of course no. “This is a film about the triumph of good over evil, because it is possible.”
The actor also drew attention to the message conveyed by the film “Irina's Oath.” “Even in today's world — not much better than the world of World War II — good is possiblee. “This is a mission for every one of us – to become a better person every day.”
“It is very important that this film is shown as widely as possible. I hope that it will be of great benefit in my homeland and abroad. I hope that thanks to this production, the character of Irina Gott, winner of the Order Righteous Among the Nations, will become better known. She will become a world icon – Like Irena Sendler – for the heroism of the Poles in saving the Jews.”
“Irina's Department” is a Polish-Canadian production that presents in an original way the story of an ordinary girl with great courage – Irina Gott-Obadecki. The film will premiere in Polish and American cinemas simultaneously on April 19, 2024, on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
The main roles will be played by stars of world cinema: Sophie Nélisse and Dougray Scott. The Polish-Canadian co-production crew also included: Andrzej Cwierin, Filip Kosior, Rafal Mohr, Eliza Recempel, Tomas Tyndek, Irina Melser, Erik Kolm Jr., Mateusz Mosiewicz, Rafał Maciej Nawrocki, Zuza Bławska, Krzysztof Szczepaniak, Aleksandar Milicevic and Agata Turcotte. The film's director is award-winning Louise Archambault, and cinematography is by Paul Sarossi.
The screenplay was written by Dan Gordon, who is also the author of the play about Irina Gott-Opdeike, which won the hearts of New York audiences off-Broadway in 2008. The world premiere of the film was held at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.
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