Historical war drama Europa Europa is among Agnieszka Holland’s most renowned and successful works. It tells the story of a Jewish boy named Sally who manages to survive Stalinist re-education, only to, after a series of radical reversals, be adopted by a Wehrmact regiment and eventually become a promising Hitler Youth recruit in an elite Nazi academy. Sally is an unusual anti-hero, wanting nothing more than to survive. Through situations that often veer on the tragicomic, the director conveys the absurdity bred by totalitarianism. The film’s atmosphere is intensified by excellent camerawork and a score by Zbigniew Preisner. Though Sally’s story may strike some as far-fetched, it was inspired by the memoirs of Salomon "Sally" Perel, published under the title Europa Europa. The film earned Agniezska Holland an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and was honoured with a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, a BAFTA nomination and numerous other accolades.