- A 7.5 minute promotional short film by Chris Prochownik. Near the end of WWII, two American boys, orphaned in New York are sent back to live with their only relatives in their native Ukraine (supposedly now safe under Soviet control). Their world is once again turned upside down when an escaping German troop happens upon the farm killing the aunt and uncle. They take the brothers and their cousin hostage to get safely behind the new German lines in Poland. The three boys are then put on a transport and thrust into the most notorious death camp in history: Auschwitz-Birkenau. Over a million are killed there in less than four years. Only 600 attempted escape. Now these young boys make their attempt. Two brothers, one promise to be kept at their Journey's End. Based upon historical events.—Polish Star Productions
- Spoiler Alert. Circa 1944, Artur and Misha, ages 12 and 8, are tragically orphaned in New York City. They are sent back to their birth country of Ukraine to live on an Uncle's farm. The Soviets are in control of the region and the German's have been pushed back into Poland. After losing their parents, Misha only communicates in whispers to his brother. Artur, tall, thin and confident, tries to protect his younger brother from the harsh realities of their new life. They share a room with their 13-year-old cousin, Stas, who shows immediate contempt for both boys. Existing in a fog of loss and isolation, the brothers try to adapt to Ukrainian farm life. After only a month in this strange land, everything is about to be turned upside down again. A retreating German troupe happens upon farm, killing both the uncle and aunt. The three boys are taken prisoner to aid in the soldier's safe passage to Poland. Once behind the new German lines the boys are turned over to a truck transport taking them deeper into Poland to meet a a transport train. A train to Auschwitz. They pass through the death gate of the camp at two in the morning. On the ramp the boys are selected for immediate death by gas. Another prisoner notices that Misha has Hetrochromia (two different colored eyes), she alerts an SS Officer who pulls Misha from the line. Meet Dr. Mangele. Artur and Stas by unusual circumstances are also spared the death line joining Misha in the Mangele's barracks. Artur becomes a camp messenger boy for a sadistic SS commander. Misha undergoes the experiments. These slowly start to drain the life from him. Stas is the caretaker for the young children in the barracks. They survive for the moment. Artur makes friends with a Polish Jew named Jakob who is working in the ware house area of the camp known by the prisoners as "Canada". Jakob shares with Artur a possible way to survive the gas chamber if he is ever "selected." The two become fast friends despite their age difference. Artur spends most of his days hiding out and working in the warehouses to avoid the brutal commander. Jakob begins to trust Artur and decides he can use him to pass messages to another man that has connections with placing people on work details out side of the camp. The two forge a plan to escape. Artur uses his position as a camp messenger to move freely about the camp and secretly passes notes from Jakob to a Kapo in the men's camp area. As the weeks go by Artur tries to convince Jakob to include his cousin and little brother in their plan. The odds are against a successful escape with a sick little boy in tow. Artur is insistent that he will not help with the plan if his brother and cousin and not included. Jakob agrees, but Artur doubts his promise. Artur reports to afternoon roll call to see Stas being whipped for teaching the other children in the barracks German language. He is then shot. Artur knows their days are limited. Several days later, a soldier appears in the warehouse and escorts Jakob away. Soon after he returns and takes Artur to the commander's office, where he is accused of planning an escape and is beaten. Artur, loses his job, special protection of the commander and remains in the barracks. He and Misha agree on a pact in the likely event that they are separated. The promise is to meet again in ten years in the very last place they see each other. Artur feels that this gives plenty of time for the war to be over and it would be safe to return. Two days later Artur and Misha are ordered with some of the sick children from their barracks to go for a "shower." As they walk, Artur hastily reviews the plan to survive the gas and escape the chamber. Both huddle together in the dark chamber hoping their plan will work. At the last moment the commander pulls Artur from the chamber with Misha screaming after him to remember the promise. The door slams shut behind them. Artur is given a reprieve and lives in the commander's office. He is forced to clean his office and to run personal messages for him. Artur's health begins to deteriorate and goes about his day without purpose. Near collapse, while running messages, Artur stumbles in between some men marching on the camp road. No longer caring, he is bumped along with the men for several minutes. A prisoner recognizes him and nervously asks him why he has walked out of the camp with them on the work detail. They could all be shot if a boy is discovered with them. After reaching the outer guard perimeter, Artur is instructed to dive into a ditch by the road and hide from site. New life breathes into him as he hurls himself into the ditch. After the long line of men and guards pass by he gets up and runs into the woods undetected. Running free, Artur goes on for hours with the commander and dogs hot on his trail. Finally diving into a river, he evades the soldiers and collapses in the forest. Covered in snow, Artur is discovered by two Polish farm girls and is hidden out for a few months until the end of the war. Every ten years, Artur returns to Krakow to fulfill a promise he made to Misha, but can never take the bus out to the camp. After 50 years, with his health failing, he makes the final trek to Auschwitz. Entering the death gate of the camp he walks on to where his old barracks 31 stood, whispers hello to Stas. Artur walks back toward the back of the camp and gas chamber II. The Germans tried to unsuccessfully to hide their crime and blew up the structure before leaving the camp. He ducks under the barrier and walks down into the rubble of the gas chamber. Artur stands for a few moments looking around the empty area. He glances forward then walks to where the rubble is all piled up at one end of the open trench-like basement structure. When he gets to where the brick will not allow him to continue he stops, looks left, right, then again forward at the jumble of the collapsed brick wall. He quietly talks in the direction of where the gas chamber door once stood, imagining his brother's face staring out of the void. He tells Misha he is late, but he if finally here. Artur hears someone walking down the steps behind him. He turns. A blank stare. Then a slow smile forms on his face.—Chris Prochownik
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