33 Photos from the Ghetto is currently streaming on HBO Max

33 Photos from the Ghetto (2025)78 minDocumentaryRating 51/100

Directed by Jan Czarlewski, this documentary tells the story of the only known photographs from inside the Warsaw Ghetto during the April 1943 uprising that were not taken by German forces. The images, taken secretly by 23-year-old Polish firefighter Zbigniew Leszek Grzywaczewski, present a rare civilian account of one of World War II's darkest moments. The film traces two families who preserved the images for 80 years but hadn't brought them to light – until the son of the photographer found the forgotten negatives and launched an investigation. Following a team of researchers, archivists, and animators who use near-forensic precision to reconstruct locations and contexts, 33 Photos from the Ghetto examines the circumstances of those tragic days and the lives captured in each frame.

Cast: Maciej Grzywaczewski, Romana Laks Kaplan, Dorota Pawlak, Michael Berenbaum, Jerzy Gutkowski, Agnieszka Kajczyk, Grzegorz Kwolek

Director: Jan Czarlewski