2015 Holocaust Film Series

2015 Holocaust Film Series

In recognition of an overwhelmingly positive response to its inaugural season, the Holocaust Film Series, presented by JIFF, returns to Melbourne and Sydney from 12 to 25 March.

But despite the austere title of this film series, the journey that we invite audiences to embark upon is not grim, but one of courage, fascination and admiration for the people who have lived through some of modern history's most challenging events. For it is only by facing the past and learning from their experiences, that we can continue to develop and appreciate the gift of life, whilst striving to banish the racial prejudice that still continues to motivate so many crimes.

The 2015 Holocaust Film Series is therefore proud to present 35 utterly compelling feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the world, all of which will be screening for the very first time in Australia, with no guarantee of repeat viewings beyond this film series. The eclectic range of stories showcased will enthrall, inform and give pause for reflection.

And although one might think that the cinematic potential of the Holocaust has been exhausted over the last seventy years, nothing could be further from the truth. Tales of incredible human resilience and lasting impact, continue to emerge and through this event we are honoured to showcase a relatively small, but vital selection of stories and incidents that illuminate a period of history that brought forth the very best and worst of mankind, with repercussions that still echo.

Highlights of the 2015 Holocaust Film Series include:

Forbidden Films
Germany / 2014 / Documentary / 94 Min
1,200 feature films were made in Germany's Third Reich. According to experts, some 100 of these were blatant propaganda. More than 40 remain – nearly seventy years after the end of the Nazi regime – under lock and key. This is their story.

Farewell Herr Schwartz
Germany, Israel / 2013 / Documentary / 96 Min
Michla and her brother Feiv'ke were inseparable before the Holocaust. Upon learning of Feiv'ke's death, Michla moves, in grief, to the new state of Israel. The filmmaker, Michla's granddaughter, investigates what really happened to her grandmother's beloved brother.
*Winner Best Documentary – Haifa IFF.

To Life
France / 2013 / Feature /104 Min
To Life is French director Jean-Jacques Zilbermann's polished follow-up feature film to his documentary Irene and Her Sisters. Zilbermann relates the story of three young Jewish women who were deported to Auschwitz and finally reconnect with each other fifteen years later, during a warm summer in Berck plage.

Secrets of War
Netherlands / 2014 / Feature / 95 Min

In 1943, two young best friends in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands find their bond put to the supreme test in this bittersweet ode to innocence lost.

Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal
Belgium / 2014 / Documentary / 57 Min
This documentary depicts a series of intimate and friendly conversations with legendary Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal, who shares his insights into the psychology, philosophy and sociology of the Holocaust.
Finnish director Inna Rogatchi will be in attendance 11-17 March

Radical Evil
Germany, Austria / 2014 / Documentary / 92 Min
Oscar-winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters) directs Radical Evil, a documentary asking why ordinary people become mass murderers

Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent
Usa / 2014 / Documentary / 50 Min
The film traces the life of Joachim Prinz, an outspoken rabbi who lived through the Nazi regime to become a significant American civil rights activist.

My Mother and Other Catastrophes – A live play reading
Australia / 2015 / Play Reading / 80 Min
A darkly comic story of four generations of Melbourne Jewish women, the matriarch of whom - Gitl Silverstein - is 116 years old, a survivor and dominating scold, undiminished by suffering and hopeless dysfunctional progeny. Directed by AFI award winning filmmaker Rivka Hartman.
*Melbourne Only

Weapons of the spirit: New 25th Anniversary Edition
Usa, France/1985/2015/ Documentary/ 90 Min
During World War II, in and around one village in Nazi-occupied France, 5,000 Jews were sheltered by 5,000 Christians. This story of a huge collaborative effort to save innocent lives is inspiring and uplifting, celebrating the goodness of the human spirit in the darkest of times.

A Blind Hero - The Love of Otto Weidt Germany / 2014 / Feature/ 90 Min
This film tells of the 'unsung Schindler" Otto Weidt, a factory owner who hid his mostly Jewish and blind employees from the Nazis. A fervent anti-Nazist, Weidt used his cunning to save dozens of Jewish souls and protect the life of his Jewish love.

Sounds from the Fog
Germany / 2013 / Documentary / 94 Min
Part detective story, part historical enquiry, Sounds From The Fog is about a filmmaker who discovers that his 90 year-old uncle, a German entertainer was imprisoned in the Nazi camps for 8 years because he was gay.

Brundibar Revisited
Germany, Czech Republic / 2014 / Documentary / 90 Min
The members of a Berlin youth theatre group are confronted by history when they recreate an opera first performed in Theresienstadt. Taken on a trip back in time, the young Berliners question their attitudes towards their country's troubled past.

Holocaust Film Series will screen from 12 to 25 March at:

Melbourne: Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick
Sydney: Event Cinemas Bondi

Visit the official website at: http://www.jiff.com.au/hfs