Despite the title of this film series, the journey that audiences are invited 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.
The film series will present 35 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.
Titles featured throughout the festival include Forbidden Films, telling the story of the 40, of 1,200, remaining feature films created during Germany’s Third Reich, To Life, is French director Jean-Jacques Zilbermann’s follow up feature film to his documentary Irene and Her Sisters that tells the story of three young Jewish women who were deported to Auschwitz and finally reconnect with each other 15 years later. Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal is a documentary that 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, and A Blind Hero- The Love of Otto Weidt which tells the story of Otto Weidt a factory owner who hid his mostly Jewish and blind employees from the Nazis.
