999: The Forgotten Girls
Synopsis
Best-selling author and historian Heather Dune Macadam has adapted her acclaimed book 999 into a powerful documentary that sheds light on a wrenching true story. In March 1942, nearly 1,000 young Slovak Jewish women, mostly teenagers, told by their government that they were embarking on a volunteer work assignment, were instead illegally deported to Auschwitz on what was the first Jewish transport to the Nazi death camp.
Rather than strictly focus on the suffering and death experienced by most of the girls, Macadam tells stories of a small group who survived against all odds, even under unimaginable conditions that lasted more than three grueling years. A film of deep research and vivid detail, 999 THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS ensures that these women will no longer be a historical footnote.
Note: some images may be disturbing.
(Credit: Greenwich International Film Festival)
Credits
Director(s)
Heather Dune Macadam
Producer(s)
Heather Dune Macadam, Jane Schonberger, Jay Heit, Beatriz M Calleja
Script
Heather Dune Macadam
Cinematography
Stephen Hopkins
Editor
Beatriz M Calleja
Original Language
English, German, Slovak, Hebrew
Subtitles
English
Co-Director
Beatriz M Calleja
Produced with the help of
Rena’s Promise Foundation, Sam Spiegel Foundation, Claims Conference, NY State Council on the Arts, Women Make Movies
Sound Design
Miguel Calvo “Maiki”
Narrator
Ramita Navai
Festival Highlights
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WINNER
Human Rights AwardHamptons Doc Fest -
WINNER
Audience AwardMiami Jewish Film Festival2024 -
WINNER
Best Social Impact Film AwardGreenwich International Film Festival2024 -
WINNER
Audience Award for Best DocumentaryFilm Pittsburgh JFilm Festival2024 -
WINNER
Audience Choice AwardForest City Film Festival2024
Greenwich International Film Festival, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Austin JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Detroit JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
New York Jewish Film Festival, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Naples JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
New Hampshire JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Palm Beach JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Rehoboth Beach JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Vancouver JFF, Canada, Official Selection, 2024
Toronto JFF, Canada, Official Selection, 2024
Hartford JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Chicago JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
East Valley JCC , USA, Official Selection, 2025
Greater Phoenix JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2025
Richmond JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2025
UK JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Calgary Beth Tzedek JFF, Canada, Official Selection, 2024
Hamilton JFF, Canada, Official Selection, 2024
Moscow JFF, Russia, Official Selection, 2024
Festival of Tolerance Ljubljan, Croatia, Official Selection, 2024
Sao Paulo JFF, Brazil, Official Selection, 2024
Miami JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Berlin JFF, Germany, Official Selection, 2024
Toronto JFF, Canada, Official Selection, 2024
Chicago JCC, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Detroit JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Rehoboth Beach Film Society, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Vancouver JFF, Canada, Official Selection, 2024
New Hampshire JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Hartford JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Naples Jewish Film Festival, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Palm Beach JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
New York Jewish Film Festival, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Austin JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2023
Reviews
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"Unbelievably powerful and moving..."
- Peter Coyote (Narrator), The U.S and the Holocaust
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"An enduring testament to these brave girls' fortitude and their will to live by helping each other. Beautifully done. "
- Catherine Tambini (Director/Producer) Academy Award nominated "Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse"
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"A critical addition to the annals of the Holocaust..."
- Susan Lacy, creator of American Masters; Producer, Spielberg and Jane Fonda In Five Acts
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"A sweeping, intimate, and often devastating account of young Slovakian women's experiences under Nazi occupation. Sure to be remembered and discussed."
- Simone Gigliotti, Deputy Director, Holocaust Research Institute, Royal Holloway, UK
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"It is almost unbelievable that the story of this transport has never been told before."
- Angela Andersen, Director/Producer. “Utopia” and ”Inviolable - The Fight for Human Rights”
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"An Incredible Story. Unique. Powerful. A Sophie’s Choice of a story. The total female perspective makes 999, unlike any film I have ever seen on the Holocaust."
- Catherine Tambini, (director/producer) Academy Award®-nominated "Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse”
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"A terrific film, beautifully structured, so moving. It is amazing that you got all of those photographs of the women and their families."
- Stephen O'Connor, Author
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"Impressively identifies, contextualizes their significance, and restores individuality to the 999 girls who were the first and last females at Auschwitz. Amazingly matches numbers with names, testimonies, and images before, during, and after."
- Nora Lee Mandel, Maven's Nest
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"A brilliantly produced Holocaust story that needs to be told. [...] one of the most important Holocaust films ever produced. [...] Hearing this story through their voices is something that I will always remember. Very powerful and impactful. "
- Radenka Maric, President, University of Connecticut
