Jewish Public Library, the David Zysman and Galkin Endowments and the Polish Cultural Institute New York present

“The Prince and the Dybbuk”

directed by Elwira Niewiera & Piotr Rosolowski

Wednesday, March 27, 2019, 7:30 PM

Jewish Public Library, 5151 Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montreal,

Members/students* $10 | General admission $15 Tickets + Info: 514.345.6416

Who was Moshe Waks, son of a poor Jewish blacksmith from Ukraine, who died as Prince Michal Waszynski in Italy? Was he a golden boy of cinema, a cunning fraud or a man who couldn’t tell the difference between the illusion of film and reality?

As a director and Hollywood producer, Waszynski made over 40 films and worked with major movie stars including Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale and Orson Welles. His true preoccupation, though, was his 1937 film The Dybbuk or Between Two Worlds. Based on an old Jewish legend, it is the story of a young woman haunted by the spirit (dybbuk in Yiddish) of her first love. Not only is it one of the most important and mystical Yiddish films ever made, The Dybbuk also mirrors Waszynski’s personal life as a restless man with many secrets and untold stories. As he grew older, the idea of unrequited love and spiritual possession took on a more and more prominent role for him.

In The Prince and the Dybbuk, the winner of the Best Documentary on Cinema Award at the 74th Venice International Film Festiva, directors Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosolowski (Domino Effect) trace Waszynski’s footsteps from Poland, Ukraine and the US into Italy, Israel and Spain, taking us on a cinematic journey into the life of a human chameleon, constantly changing names, religion, titles and countries to write his own life story as if it were a film.

Introduced by Dr. Eugene Orenstein, co-chair, Yiddish programming committee.