Augustyniak Family Archive

collection Augustyniak Family Archive
authors Stanisław Augustyniak
length 19'50
country Mongolia; Russia; Singapore
locations Achinsk, Dzüüncharaa, Mongolia  Yekaterinburg, Russia  Irkutsk, Russia  Krasnoyarsk, Russia  Singapore, Singapore  Tyumen, Russia 
format 8 mm
color color
signature PAFD 0051 004
description

The author of the film is Stanisław Augustyniak (born in 1920 in Warta, died in 1997 in Gdynia). He completed seven grades of primary school and mastered several trades – he was a shoemaker, tailor, furrier, plumber, carpenter, locksmith, and knew his way around electrical installations. In 1938, he went to Warsaw hoping to continue his education, but to no avail. Eventually, he enlisted in the navy in Gdynia and in 1939 ended up on ORP “Gryf”. He participated in the September Campaign as an artillery operator and member of the crew defending the peninsula. After the capitulation, he was taken into German captivity and imprisoned in the Woldenberg camp, and then assigned to work at Paul Schwartz’s inn in Wollin. There he met his future wife, Anna Witkowska, who worked at Lehmann’s, Schwartz’s neighbor. After returning to Poland, the couple had a modest wedding, and in 1946 their only son Bolesław was born. The family moved to Gdynia, where Stanisław began working as a sailor, sailing for the next 30 years in PLO under the Polish merchant flag. His amateur 8-millimeter films come from this period, which also feature his wife Anna, who accompanied him on several sailings. After finishing his work at sea, Stanisław focused on family life, dedicating much time to his cherished allotment garden in Gdynia.
Part 1
Shots taken from a ship’s deck – maritime landscape and a couple viewing it. Probably filmed in Singapore.
Part 2
Shots taken in locations in the USSR (currently in Russia and Mongolia) along the Trans-Siberian Railway route. The camera captures glimpses from the stations of Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Chernorechenskaya, Achinsk, Mariinsk, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Züünkharaa. The cameraman documents city name plates and films brief sequences with encountered people and winter landscapes. Besides houses and stations, yurts stand out in the snowy landscape.

(WO)

keywords Trans-Siberian Railway  winter  sea  railway station  yurt 
source of funding Polish Film Institute