A Film Unfinished
Synopsis
This film seeks for the truth behind one of the most mysterious Nazi propaganda films ever shot inside the Warsaw Ghetto. A rough draft of a silent film which juxtaposes meticulously staged scenes of Jews enjoying a life of luxury in the ghetto with other, chilling images that required no staging at all.
Ironically, after the war, filmmakers and museums used bits and pieces from the film as objective, general illustrations of the narratives collected from survivors and written documents. Few people were aware of the cynical manner in which these images were created and the true, yet inconceivable witness they bear. The cinematic deception was forgotten and the black and white images remained engraved in memory as historical truth.
The film interweaves diary entries written by ghetto inhabitants during the filming, the testimonies of living survivors who still remember the filming, and for the first time a rare interrogation protocol of one of the German cameramen, testifying about his role in the making of the film.
By juxtaposing the filmed scenes with its behind-the-scenes’ layered reality, ‘A Film Unfinished’ shakes our uncritical trust in the photographic image and the way we perceive the historical past.
Credits
Director(s)
Yael Hersonki
Producer(s)
Noemi Schory, Itay Ken-Tor
Co-Producer(s)
MDR, SWR, Yes Docu
Cinematography
Itai Neeman
Editor
Joëlle Alexis
Original Language
English, Hebrew, German, Polish, Yiddish
Subtitles
English, Hebrew
In cooperation with
Arte
Support by
The New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and Television, Yad Vashem Film Project.
Developed with the assistance of
Greenhouse
Sound design
Aviv Aldema
Photo Credit
Itay Neeman
Festival Highlights
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Winner
Van Leer Best Documentary AwardJerusalem Film Festival -
Winner
the Forum for the Preservation of Audio-Visual Memory AwardJerusalem Film Festival -
Winner
Best Editing AwardSundance Film Festival -
Winner
WGA Documentary Screenplay AwardSilverdocs Festival -
Winner
Best International Feature AwardHot Docs2010 -
Winner
Magnolia international Documentary AwardShanghai TV Film Festival
EDOC- Ecuador Documentary Film Festival, Ecuador, 2011
One World Film Festival, Romania, 2011
Makedox International Film Festival , Macedonia, 2011
Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival , Serbia, 2011
Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia, 2010
Bangkok International Film Festival , Thailand, 2010
Taiwan International Film Festival, Taiwan, 2010
Hong Kong Independent Film Festival, Hong Kong, 2010
Pitigliano Rome Film Festival, Italy, 2010
Rio International Film Festival, Brazil, 2010
Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel, 2010
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, USA, 2010
Hot Docs, Canada, 2010
Berlin International Film Festival, Germany, 2010
Sundance Film Festival, USA, 2010
Reviews
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"Moving, mysterious and intellectually provocative!"
- New York Times, Critic's Pick
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"A Film Unfinished engages us, challenges us, and most importantly, teaches us -- not only about history, but about what we take for granted, and what we assume to be truth"
- HOT DOCS Review
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"'GRADE: A' A profound and vital documentary"
- Lisa Schwartzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
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"Harrowing. A historically invaluable doc."
- John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
