A university student has helped a Holocaust survivor fulfil a promise made in Auschwitz to tell the world of the horrors she witnessed. Iby Knill, 89, inspired film student Adam Purves to create a short film documenting her story of survival.
Purves, studying Film and Television BA Hons at Teesside University, was captivated after reading Knill's book, 'The Woman without a Number'. He decided to make her story the subject of his graduation film, enlisting fellow students Mark and Ian to assist.
One of Knill's most poignant memories is of a promise she made to a twin girl in Auschwitz, who was being used in Nazi experiments. Knowing she would not survive, the girl asked Knill to tell the world what she had seen. Knill, who was being transferred to a slave labour camp, agreed.
Purves and his team travelled to Auschwitz and Budapest to film on location, using budget flights and cheap accommodation to stretch their limited funds. The resulting film captures Knill's journey from her childhood in Czechoslovakia, through her work in the Hungarian resistance, to her capture and imprisonment in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Auschwitz Museum and the Holocaust Centre in Budapest have both requested copies of the film for their archives. Purves said, 'It's a huge honour knowing that I've played a part in helping Iby fulfil her promise of telling the world her story.'
