Warwick Davis & The Seven Dwarfs Of Auschwitz

Under the Nazi Regime, the Grimm fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (along with countless others) was mutated into anti-Semitic propaganda. But while Hitler was happy to use the Seven Dwards to further his aims, his fascination with the Ovitz family led to more sinister plans... Warwick explores the history of the Ovitz family of seven Jewish dwarf performers, who travelled across Eastern Europe to showcase their talents, using false papers. They managed to maintain their freedom and continue their tour until their capture in 1944. In the Auschwitz concentration camp queues, the Ovitz family were spotted by the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele, who wanted to decipher the secrets of human growth. The family were deemed crucial to his research and isolated in special quarters. Warwick discovers their conditions as they quickly became human guinea pigs, enduring endless bizarre and agonising experiments. They were paraded naked for the officers, and a film was sent to Hitler for his amusement. Parallel to the Ovitz' story, Warwick recounts his own experiences of being a dwarf. At age 11 – and 2 foot 11″ in height, Warwick got the role of the ewok 'Wicket' in Star Wars, as well as returning for other roles in the franchise. This is a personal, respectful and intelligent journey in which Warwick unearths a fascinating story and charts us through moving and inspirational territory, dark fairytales and human endurance. (Independent Television)