Birth Certificate (film)

Birth Certificate (Polish: Świadectwo urodzenia) is a Polish war film from 1961 directed by Stanisław Różewicz, based on a screenplay co-written with the director's brother, Tadeusz Różewicz. The film consists of three separate novellas, each narrated from the perspective of children affected by the events of World War II.

The film was critically acclaimed, winning prestigious awards at youth-oriented film festivals in Cannes and Venice. The third novella, depicting the struggle of an orphaned Jewish girl to survive, garnered particular interest from critics and researchers. However, the novella's ending – and that of the entire film – sparked controversy. Birth Certificate, with its director distancing himself from debates on Polish wartime heroism, is considered part of the plebeian trend within the Polish Film School movement.