A Web of War

"Mimi and I often discussed suicide. She said she could not wait patiently like a sheep until they decided when they should kill us. For a long time we considered this but finally decided that we must leave them the moral responsibility for our murder." These are the words of Polish resistance fighter Krystyna Wituska just before her execution at the hands of the Nazis. Hers is just one of the remarkable stories featured in this compelling documentary about how Canada and Poland fought alongside one another during the Second World War. Combining original footage, interviews and dramatic re-enactments, A Web of War accompanies three Canadians as they return to Europe to relive their wartime experiences: veteran Canadian officer Pierre Sevigny, who received Poland's highest military decoration; Michael Gutowski, a Polish cavalry officer who went on to found Canada's Olympic equestrian team; and Krystyna's cousin, Irena Bellert, a member of the Polish underground and today a linguistics professor at McGill University. They recall the Jewish uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Warsaw uprising, the Normandy campaign and the liberation of the Oberlangen concentration camp, among other pivotal events. Featuring actress Tamara Gorski in the role of Wituska, A Web of War not only chronicles the little-known shared military history of Canada and Poland, but also gives voice to the many Polish women who served in the underground in a valiant attempt to liberate their country.