Edward Łukawer was a famous Polish Jewish economist who lectured at the Krakow University of Economics. Now, four students and a professor at that same school are working on developing the material for a movie on him using the testimony he gave to USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive.

Students Dominika Hercog, Klaudia Jarzebak, Justyna Legec, and Arletta Ślusarczyk are creating documentation that will later be used to write a screenplay about Łukawer for their master’s thesis. The project is being supervised by Professor Jerzy Hausner, who runs a master’s seminar -- in which small groups of students do research for future documentaries on Polish economists as their thesis projects -- for the Public Economy and Administration department. The students are also being assisted by Karol Kowalski, who previously worked with Hausner in 2012 to create a documentary about another Polish economist, Michal Kalecki.

Łukawer was born in Warsaw, but moved with his mother to Lviv, in present day Ukraine, after the outbreak of World War II. Lviv was occupied by the Soviets, and for refusing to accept Soviet citizenship Łukawer was sentenced to a life in exile in Siberia. However, he was able to return to Poland in 1946, where he began working as an economist. He was then expelled from his job and the communist party due to his involvement in the Polish student demonstrations of 1968. He didn’t regain his rights to research and teach until 1980.

“What caught our interest was not only [Łukawer’s] achievements in the field of economics, especially on the socialist economy, but his private life, too,” Legec said. “We want to show that, despite so many adversities, despite the persecutions, he was consistent and always stood for his beliefs.”

Two of the students are focusing on Łukawer‘s scientific achievements, while the other two focus on the biographical elements of his life. It is for these latter two that Łukawer’s testimony has been invaluable.

“The interview with Edward Łukawer is full of priceless memories and detailed information,” Kowalski said. “It verified many of our doubts and gave us tips on where to look further Seeing and hearing Edward Łukawer speaking gives us a closer look at his personality and helps us know him better.”

Jarzebak agreed that the students’ project would have been lacking if not for this testimony.

“The knowledge gained only from our written materials was incomplete and would not have given us a complete look at the events of the life of Professor Edward Łukawer,” she said.

Hausner is the one member of the group who had met Łukawer before his death in 2007, as both were at the university in 1981. He is embarking on this project, however, so that future students will be aware of the legacy the economist has left.

“It’s my personal initiative to prepare 10 movies about 10 different persons who passed away but should be known by the next generations of students and graduates,” Hausner said.

So far, his plan to inspire future students is working. Hercog, who said she hadn’t heard of Łukawer before she began this project, said she has since been inspired by his life.

“For me, the most interesting thread in the professor life was the expulsion from the university because of his antigovernment activity and, despite that, his further involvement in political activity and teaching,” she said. “Not everyone could keep a cool head and not give up.”