The Island on Bird Street

During World War II, twelve year old Alex, his father Stefan, their Uncle Boruch and Alex's pet mouse Snow live in Warsaw in the Jewish ghetto, around which the Nazis have erected a fence so that no one can get out. The Polish Jews live their daily lives in the bombed out ghetto, but go into hiding whenever the Nazi soldiers come for what they call the selection process when truckloads of Jews are hauled away to an unknown future. Alex's family is one of the last in the ghetto, when the Nazis come to haul all remaining Jews away. Previously discussed amongst themselves, Alex manages to escape from the Nazis before he can be taken away. Alex is supposed to hide in the ghetto, with Stefan vowing that he will eventually come back for him. As Alex lives alone in the ghetto, he has to use his resourcefulness to find food and potable water, and to find a suitable hiding place for whenever the Nazis come looking for any remaining Jews. He also has to assess who he can and cannot trust amongst the handful of remaining people who are also hiding out in the ghetto. After he meets and befriends two other hiding Jews named Freddy and Henryk, Alex is shown a secret tunnel leading out of the ghetto into unfenced Warsaw. Alex has to make the decision to go to the safer unfenced zone, where the likelihood of ever seeing Stefan again is slim to none, or to stay in the ghetto and the thought of reuniting with Stefan but with the understanding that the Nazis will eventually demolish the ghetto.

Directed by 
Søren Kragh-Jacobsen	Writing Credits  
Uri Orlev	...	(novel)
 
John Goldsmith	...	(screenplay) &
Tony Grisoni	...	(screenplay)Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification  
Patrick Bergin	Patrick Bergin	...	Stefan
Jordan Kiziuk	Jordan Kiziuk	...	Alex
Jack Warden	Jack Warden	...	Boruch
James Bolam	James Bolam	...	Doctor Studjinsky
Stefan Sauk	Stefan Sauk	...	Goehler
Simon Gregor	Simon Gregor	...	Henryk
Lee Ross	Lee Ross	...	Freddy
Suzanna Hamilton	Suzanna Hamilton	...	Stasya's Mother
Sian Nicola Liquorish	Sian Nicola Liquorish	...	Stasya
Michael Byrne	Michael Byrne	...	Bolek
Heather Tobias	Heather Tobias	...	Mrs. Studjinsky
Leon Silver	Leon Silver	...	Mr. Gryn
Sue Jones-Davies	Sue Jones-Davies	...	Mrs. Gryn
Nigel John Whitear	Nigel John Whitear	...	Yanek
Misha Daniel King	Misha Daniel King	...	Avrum
Nicole Maria Hann	Nicole Maria Hann	...	Tsyppora
Richard Pepper	Richard Pepper	...	Boy (as Richard William Pepper)
Marek Grabowski	Marek Grabowski	...	Adam
Phil-Alexander Szalek	Phil-Alexander Szalek	...	Yossi
Marcin Herman	Marcin Herman	...	Joseph
Pawel Lauterbach	Pawel Lauterbach	...	Benny
Jacek Milczanowski	Jacek Milczanowski	...	Yitzak
Pawel Okonski	Pawel Okonski	...	Richter (as Pawt Okonski)
Leon Niemczyk	Leon Niemczyk	...	Podulski
Jacek Krautforst	Jacek Krautforst	...	Goehler's Adjutant
Frank Albrecht	Frank Albrecht	...	German Soldier
Jan Blecki	Jan Blecki	...	Terrified Man
Juliusz Chrzastowski	Juliusz Chrzastowski	...	Jewish Policeman
Katazyna Suszyto	Katazyna Suszyto	...	Miriam
Juilta Wotoszynska	Juilta Wotoszynska	...	Benny's Mother
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jacob Rasmussen	Jacob Rasmussen	...	German nazi (uncredited)
Maciej Sosnowski	Maciej Sosnowski	...	Jewish Policeman (uncredited)
Jo Stock	Jo Stock	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Zbigniew Walerys	Zbigniew Walerys	...	Jewish in Getto (uncredited)
Produced by 
David Ball	...	line producer
Rudy Cohen	...	producer
Rolf Deyhle	...	executive producer
David Korda	...	executive producer
Victoria Lucas	...	associate producer
Kim Magnusson	...	delegate executive producer
Tivi Magnusson	...	producerMusic by 
Zbigniew Preisner	Cinematography by 
Ian Wilson	...	director of photographyFilm Editing by 
David Martin	Casting By 
Liora Reich	
Sheila Trezise	Production Design by 
Norbert Scherer	Art Direction by 
Alexander Scherer	...	(as Alex Scherer)Set Decoration by 
Eliane Huss	Costume Design by 
Bea Gossmann	
Barbara Sródka-Makówka	Makeup Department 
Erika Sternberg	...	makeup artist
Gerd Zeiss	...	makeup artistProduction Management 
David Ball	...	unit production manager
Mieczyslaw Janowski	...	unit manager: PolandSecond Unit Director or Assistant Director 
Marcus Catlin	...	second assistant director
Tim Lewis	...	first assistant director
Jaroslaw Marszewski	...	second assistant director: Poland
Marek Piestrak	...	second assistant director: Poland
Haider Rizvi	...	first assistant director: PolandArt Department 
Thomas Bartsch	...	construction crew
Friedhelm Becker	...	head painter
Stefan Branca	...	painter
Dirk Burrekoven	...	construction crew
Andreas Effer	...	construction crew
Achim Feles	...	construction manager
Ulrike Gojowczyk	...	stand-by props
Fred Gutberg	...	stand-by carpenter
Karl-Heinz Hahnel	...	construction foreman (as Karl-Heinz Hähnel)
Claudia Hasenstab	...	prop buyer
Michael Jensen	...	storyboard artist
Rolf Köhler	...	prop assistant
Gaby Mocaer	...	painter
Alberto Mian Sartor	...	sculptor
Britta Sassmannshausen	...	painter
Corinne Schneider	...	painter
Agata Schubert-Hauck	...	painter
Thomas Schulte	...	construction crew
Anja Seebaum	...	assistant production designer
Jochen Vogt	...	construction crew
Andrzej Rafal Waltenberger	...	set designer: Poland
Andreas Well	...	carpenter
Piotr Wilczynski	...	props: PolandSound Department 
Jim Skau Andersen	...	sound effects editor (as Jim Skau)
Kristian Eidnes Andersen	...	sound editor
Niels Arild	...	re-recording mixer / sound editor
Rolf Hapke	...	sound mixer
Frank Lehner	...	boom operator
Julien Naudin	...	foley artist
Per Streit	...	sound designerSpecial Effects by 
Detlef Kaschugg	...	special effects
Slawomir Maslanka	...	special effects: Poland
Klaus Mitter	...	special effectsStunts 
Ernst Reimann	...	stunt coordinator
Waclaw Wiszniowski	...	stunt coordinator (as Waclaw Wisniowski)
Tomek Zawade	...	stuntsCamera and Electrical Department 
Celio Castro	...	electrician
Czeslaw Cyran	...	focus puller: Poland
Michael Green	...	focus puller 'a' camera
Pier Hausemer	...	camera trainee
Sven Heinrich	...	clapper loader
Thorsten Krusche	...	electrician
Uwe Köhler	...	assistant grip
Kai Meyer-Ricks	...	key grip
Georg Nonnenmacher	...	best boy
Knut K. Pedersen	...	steadicam operator
Klaus Peter Venn	...	gaffer
Astrid Wirth	...	still photographerAnimation Department 
Matthias Wahl	...	set artistCasting Department 
Sabine Schwedhelm	...	casting: GermanyCostume and Wardrobe Department 
Daniele Gossens-Dommel	...	costume assistant
Martina Schall	...	wardrobe
Teresa Tutak	...	wardrobe: PolandEditorial Department 
Hans-Gabriel Bergmann	...	color timer
Ulla Hiltl	...	first assistant editor
Renate Hähmer	...	negative cutter (as Renate Hähner)
Mikaela Von Freiesleben	...	second assistant editor
Olga Zapletal	...	negative cutterMusic Department 
Jacek Kaspszyk	...	conductor
Rafal Paczkowski	...	score mixerScript and Continuity Department 
Danuta Skarszewska	...	script supervisorTransportation Department 
Joerg Balzer	...	driver (as Joerg Baltzer)
Jörg Ulbrich	...	driverOther crew 
Stephanie Ahlen	...	production assistant
Hasse Christensen	...	title designer
Anna Czarska	...	production coordinator: Poland
Tomas Villum Jensen	...	assistant to director
Antje Köster	...	assistant production coordinator
Corinne Le Hong	...	production coordinator
Lis Lund	...	public relations
Grazyna Solarczykowna	...	executive producer: of Preisner Production
Marian Strus	...	stand-in
Rivens Wehner	...	stand-in
Klaus Flesch	...	production accountant (uncredited)
Bernhard Speck	...	production accountant consultant (uncredited)Thanks 
Dag Alveberg	...	thanks
Mark Forstater	...	thanks
Hans Hansen	...	thanks
Frank Hübner	...	thanks