56' 2019 Poland director: Łukasz Czajka cinematography: Kacper Czubak editing: Jakub Piątek production: Autograf Karol Wożbiński
Of Animals and Men is an extraordinary attempt to present the dramatic history of the Żabińskis, whom some viewers will be familiar with. The 2017 Hollywood movie The Zookeeper’s Wife told the story of the efforts the caretakers of the Warsaw Zoo undertook to save Jews during World War II. Łukasz Czajka manages, however, to not only add more details to the story of Jan and Antonina Żabiński by using unpublished archival materials and fragments of Antonina’s diaries, but he also brings a completely new dimension to the story. Taking the perspective of the animals living in the zoo, the director asks the universal question of what it means to be human.
