Oma & Bella

About The Film

Two elderly Holocaust survivors and best friends share a deep fondness of family and food in OMA & BELLA.

Having endured the ghettoes and camps of WWII, Regina Karolinski of Poland and Bella Katz of Lithuania live together in a Berlin apartment. The film follows their daily routine, busy with shopping, social engagements, gossip-filled visits to the hairdresser, and above all else, a passion for cooking. They spend countless hours in a cramped kitchen preparing the classic Eastern European comfort food of their childhoods – borscht, blintzes, soups, cookies and strudel – a form of therapy that keeps alive their heritage and memories of home. Whether vividly recounting their precarious journey with gentle humor and honesty, or dishing out advice from the kitchen, these irrepressible octogenarians embrace life while wrestling with the past.

Lovingly produced and directed by Regina’s granddaughter Alexa Karolinski, this observational film presents a beautiful companionship between a pair of magnetic and spirited personalities, which has endured for decades.