The Marylka Project documents the fortunate escape of Maria Kamm and her family from Poland during the leadup to the Holocaust. Maria and her family were saved by a transit visa to Japan received from Chihune Sugihara, vice-consul of the Japanese Consulate in Kaunas. The story of Chihune Sugihara and the lives he saved by issuing transit visas is under-reported; and it is estimated that he saved almost 6,000 lives.
The Marylka Project has been fortunate to work with Maria and her younger brother, Marcel Weyland, who travelled via Vladivostok to Tsuruga in Japan, through to Kobe, and then Shanghai; before eventually being resettled in Australia. Their stories are being documented and preserved in order to bring attention to this history. Their stories also assist in piecing together elements of the overall refugee experience in Japan during the Second World War.
The Marylka Project is led by Professor Kenji Kanno of Tokyo University of Science. My role within the project has been to assist with Australia-based research and logistics, English translation, and consultation based on my experience in film production and grant writing.