We are moving stories

“Kitty and Ellen’s friendship is inspiring. They are both hilarious women beyond having such rich histories. During a time when the political climate bears similarities to their past, hearing these stories is more important than ever. In the context of the 2016 election, following Kitty throughout the process gives us another perspective into that night and how she deals with the current political climate. We can all learn from Kitty’s outlook as she can see beyond tactics of division.”

“A friend named Matt Hadley texted me that he was on a music video set for a 95 year old holocaust survivor named Inge Ginsberg who does death metal. Once I received the text I immediately asked him to get her number and the rest is history.

I am also part of a class at Creative Culture at the Jacob Burns Film Center where over the course of a few months you are given resources and support to make a short film. I was at the end of my previous film about two holocaust survivors and knew this would be a perfect next project.”

“I wanted to know what someone who has lived through one of history’s darkest times has to say about human nature, life and resilience. Olga Horak offers a unique and rare perspective on how important love and hope is.”

“This film is unlike any “Holocaust” film you’ve ever seen. You will leave inspired to make the most out of every single day, and have a deeper understanding of your own challenges and issues.”

“The brief but intense recount of Mrs. Minia’s memories, as told by herself, resound profoundly with everyone’s idea of survival.”

“I met Risa Igfeld when she was 85. I was so taken by her zest for life. She survived the Nazi invasion, sang songs in over 15 languages had so many hardships and yet still had such a great attitude and so much gratitude. At 85 she was falling in love again, I was going through another breakup! I wanted to know how she did it! So I started filming her. I did not know it would be 15 years that I would follow her for. But life keeps changing and I wanted to film how she handled it all.”

“I made Still Alive as a record of the legacy the women in my family carry. The Holocaust is a large part of my life, and my elders, unlike many survivor stories that are publicised, didn’t recover emotionally. I felt it would be interesting to document eugenics in a different and relatable format.”

“I grew up with Holocaust survivor parents and as a psychologist and filmmaker always felt their story should be told. But I started to unravel more than I anticipated long after they died, and I knew I had to film myself searching for the truth.”

“It is personal because many family members were murdered there simply because they were Jewish. It is universal because at least six million Jewish children, women and men died in WW2 in genocidal actions by the Nazis and there still is no explanation. Racism is still the unexplained curse of humanity.”

“In this film, I explore mother/child relationships and how we handle the stigma of shameful history and its murky shadows. As a third-generation Holocaust survivor myself, I’m interested in the conflict of finding connection and kinship to your personal heritage that happens to hail from a tragic part of history. Children often don’t understand the culture and social lines of what games are okay to play.”

“The deep writing and thoughts of Anne Frank ring true even today, 70 years after her death. No Asylum demonstrates how the refugee crisis during World War II mirrors today, and follows the Frank family’s quest for a safe haven - and the tragic results of their not finding one.”

“David is looking for his roots in Haiti. I think most people, once in their lives, will search for their origins, the story of their family, their community, their country. It’s universal, we simply need it. The search of David has an echo with the personal search of his mother, Claire, who is looking for her family who disappeared during the Holocaust.”

“Following Shira’s Journey tells a story of a two thousand year old community that is almost completely decimated during the Second World War. This is a story of human brutality and human survival. Watching this film will open up an unknown piece of history that is sad yet enlightening and optimistic at the same time. The lessons learned by watching this film are very relevant to the conflicts we all face in the modern world.”

“This film is about a moment in modern history that shocked the world and an Australian artist who witnessed the horror and recorded it for history.”

“The message in my films is extremely important to me. What am I saying, and why? And is it in line with my view of the world, my values, my beliefs? I question this throughout writing, filming, and editing, making sure we stay focused on its central message.”

“The film handles universal themes of the fear and rejection of strangers and how past trauma and pain are used to justify mistrust. A more personal theme is the lack of communication around sensitive topics such as the holocaust which was common in my family. In the film, both characters believe strongly that ignorance is bliss.”

“When I was a young child, my grandfather Yasha (Jacob Fedorovsky) recounted the fascinating story of his escape from Radomyshl, a small Jewish shtetl in Ukraine that was under German occupation in 1941. A small box containing his mother’s hairpins, the only thing that remained from his family, helped him and his new friend – a wounded goat – to escape death.

I have wanted to tell this story to my audience ever since I began my career as a filmmaker.”

“When I read about the girls who had escaped ISIS captivity, and withstood unimaginable crimes against humanity, I couldn’t shake it. Their stories haunted me and their bravery inspired me and the more I researched personal stories of these Yezidi women, the more I knew making a film could help raise awareness about the genocide committed against this marginalized community in need. There became no question this was to be my next film.”

“There are millions of women being violently sexually abused around the world. The purpose of this film is to give voice to the many women suffering around the world, and highlight the continued use of rape as a weapon of war and an act of genocide.”

“Most Americans know that the history of the United States includes horrific atrocities and genocide committed against Native Americans. Many believe that this is in the past and therefore cannot be changed or fixed. Oyate Woyaka is determined to show that we can still move into a new, healthier paradigm together. We will show how the past affects the present whether you view it from a western or a native perspective.”

“How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Survival, ecocide, genocide, human rights, mining, struggle, military, Venezuela.”

“Veterans have a strong group identity. We acknowledge the importance of the group at the end of the film in the form of Dave riding with the Veterans Motorcycle Club. They are an impressive group of people who understand and support one another unconditionally.”