March ‘68

Reception: 6:00 PM, Speaker 6:30 PM, Film 7:00 PM

Students Hania and Janek begin a whirlwind romance after meeting at a theatre performance one evening. They are ignorant of the political uprising around them: anti-Semitism is on the rise, and the persecution of Jewish citizens is gaining momentum. Hania is Jewish, and her parents lose their jobs in the growing climate of hostility. With no money and no prospects for the future, her family decides to emigrate. But the girl does not want to leave. After Hania and Janek’s colleagues are expelled from university and the government censors an upcoming theatrical production, the two decide to act. Compelled by their love, they participate in a protest to defend freedom of the theatre and freedom of speech, but police brutality and violence ensue, separating the young couple and threatening their future together.  This dramatic love story offers a heady convergence of romance, history and politics in a rarely told story of anti-Semitism in 1960s communist Poland.

Guest Speaker: Evan Czyzowski
Evan Czyzowski is a Humanities Teacher and theater director at Bedford High School in New Hampshire. Each year he leads student and educator trips abroad including a tour of Germany and Poland for students study WWII, The Holocaust and the Cold War. He has lived and taught in Krakow, Poland and co-directed a summer program in Krotoszyn, Poland. In addition he serves chair of the Best Practices Committee on the NH State Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education