Documentaries Body Text

In addition to collecting and preserving video testimonies, USC Shoah Foundation produces documentaries about the Holocaust and genocide.

The Institute’s documentary films have aired in 50 countries and are subtitled in 28 languages. The films are not available for purchase directly from the Institute; links have been provided below for the films that are currently in distribution.

Among the 13 documentary films to its credit is the Academy Award®-winning “The Last Days,” which centers on five Hungarians who survived the deadliest wave of mass murder during the final phase of the Holocaust.

Auschwitz

Auschwitz Screen Still

Shortly after triggering World War II with its 1939 invasion of Poland, Nazi Germany set about repurposing a system of immigrant barracks in the city of Oświęcim to house political prisoners. Renamed Auschwitz, the facility would become the most notorious killing factory in human history.

Tracing this tragic trajectory is the 15-minute documentary “Auschwitz” that was shown as part of the official 70th Anniversary commemoration at Auschwitz, the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, on January 27, 2015.

Produced by USC Shoah Foundation founder Steven Spielberg, directed by James Moll, narrated by Meryl Streep and scored by Hans Zimmer, “Auschwitz” chronicles how the Nazi regime used the facility to systematically murder some 1.1 million people, the vast majority of them Jews.

Using archival war footage, panoramic flyovers and computer-generated imagery to capture the enormity, scale and brutal utility of the camps, “Auschwitz” paints a chilling portrait of a dark chapter that must never be forgotten, lest it be repeated.       

Also produced to commemorate the 70th Anniversary liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp was “One Day in Auschwitz.” An hour-long documentary produced by USC Shoah Foundation and originally broadcast on Discovery on Jan. 27, 2015. “One Day in Auschwitz” follows Holocaust survivor Kitty Hart-Moxon as she returns to Auschwitz-Birkenau with two high school students, Natalia Smith and Lydia Hollingsworth, to tell them her story. The girls are the same age Kitty was – 15 – when she was imprisoned in the Nazi death camp with her mother.

Voices from the List

Voices from the List Poster

Based exclusively on testimonies of "Schindler Juden" from the Institute’s Visual History Archive, “Voices from the List” continues beyond the narrative of the Academy Award®-winning film Schindler's List by incorporating rare, archival footage and an original score to add a new dimension to the story of Oskar Schindler. Michael Mayhew directed the film, and James Moll was the producer. June Beallor was executive producer.

Visit the Schindler’s List website

Nazvy svoie im’ia (Spell Your Name)

Spell Your Name Poster

Directed by Sergey Bukovsky and executive-produced by Victor Pinchuk and Steven Spielberg, “Spell Your Name” follows three Ukrainian journalism students whose experiences viewing testimony from the Institute’s archive bring to light stories of survival and rescue that took place in Ukraine during the Holocaust. In addition to using Ukrainian- and Russian-language testimony from the Institute’s Visual History Archive, the film incorporates personal and archival photographs, as well as new footage shot on location in Ukraine.

Visit the Spell Your Name website

Download the Spell Your Name press kit:  SpellYourNamePressKit_English_2008_1_30.pdf

“Назви своє ім'я”

Створений за режисурою Сергія Буковського, “Назви своє ім'я” – це фільм, який разом з трьома українськими студентками журналістики поринає у свідоцтва місцевих жителів, що дивом вціліли під час масових розстрілів, а також тих, хто рятував своїх друзів, сусідів і зовсім незнайомих людей під час Холокосту на території України. Продюсерами цього фільму є Стівен Спілберг та Віктор Пінчук. Фільм створено на основі свідоцтв українською та російською мовами з архіву Інституту Фонду Шоа Університету Південної Каліфорнії, а також персональних і архівних фотографій та сучасних кадрів, знятих на території України.
Відвідайте веб-сайт фільму

“Назви своє ім'я”

“Назови своё имя по буквам”

Созданный режиссёром Сергеем Буковским, “Назови своё имя по буквам” – это фильм, который вместе с тремя украинскими студентками журналистики погружается в свидетельства местных жителей, чудом уцелевших во время массовых расстрелов, и тех, кто спасал своих друзей, соседей и совсем незнакомых людей во время Холокоста на территории Украины. Продюсеры этого фильма – Стивен Спилберг и Виктор Пинчук. Фильм создан на основе свидетельств на украинском и русском языках из архива Института Фонда Шоа Университета Южной Калифорнии, а также персональных и архивных фотографий и современных кадров, отснятых на территории Украины.
Посетите веб-сайт фильма

“Назови своё имя по буквам”

Volevo solo vivere (I Only Wanted to Live)

Volevo Poster

I Only Wanted to Live, by Italian film director Mimmo Calopresti, chronicles the Holocaust as experienced in Italy, from the racial laws Mussolini enacted in 1938 through the German invasion in 1943 and the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. The experiences are made personal through the use of testimony from the Institute's archive. Nine Italian citizens, all survivors of Auschwitz, share their stories; their testimonies are woven among personal and historical photographs and additional archival footage to create a 75-minute narrative.

Download the Volevo solo vivere press kitVolevosoloviverePressKit_2008_8_21.pdf

Only released on DVD in Italy (PAL version only).
Purchase Volevo solo vivere

Volevo solo vivere

Volevo solo vivere, del regista italiano Mimmo Calopresti,racconta l'esperienza della Shoah così come è stata vissuta in Italia, dalle Leggi Razziali promulgate da Mussolini nel 1938 all'invasione Nazista del 1943,fino alla liberazione di Auschwitz nel 1945.Le vicende narrate sono personali in quanto tratte dalle testimonianze custodite nell'archivio dell'Istituto. Nove cittadini italiani, tutti sopravvissuti ad Auschwitz,raccontano le loro esperienze. Le loro testimonianze si intrecciano tra fotografie personali, foto storiche e filmati di archivio,per creare 75 minuti di intensa narrazione.

Per scaricare il materiale stampa di volevo solo vivere (press kit):  volevo_solo_vivere.pdf

Per acquistare Volevo solo vivere

Broken Silence – International Documentary Series

Broken Silence Poster

Produced by James Moll, Broken Silence consists of five foreign-language films featuring testimonies from Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia and directed by distinguished filmmakers from each of these countries. The documentaries are unique in scope and construction: incorporating archival and modern-day footage, still photographs, original music, and drawing from the Institute’s testimonies. The film series, subtitled into 11 languages (including English), has aired on television in 18 countries worldwide. Available on DVD.

Purchase Broken Silence

View the trailer above.

For local versions, check with your local and/or online retailers.

Films in the Broken Silence series:

  • Algunos que vivieron (Some Who Lived): Argentine filmmaker Luis Puenzo (director of the Academy Award®-winning film, The Official Story) directed this Spanish-language film, weaving together testimonies from Holocaust survivors now living in Argentina and Uruguay with archival and modern-day footage. Puenzo also explores the connections between Nazism and the darker chapters in modern Argentine history.
  • A Holocaust szemei (Eyes of the Holocaust): Director Janos Szasz, the son of Holocaust survivors, made this Hungarian-language documentary that focuses on the experiences of survivors who were children during the Holocaust.
  • Deti iz bezdny (Children from the Abyss): Holocaust survivors in this Russian-language documentary detail their experience of resistance, betrayal, rescue, and the desire for revenge. Directed by Pavel Chukhraj (Academy Award® nominee for his film, The Thief).
  • Pamiętam (I Remember): Academy Award® nominee Andrzej Wajda directed this Polish-language documentary about four survivors who were either helped or betrayed by their Polish neighbors.
  • Peklo na zemi (Hell on Earth): Renowned Czech filmmaker Vojtech Jasny directed this Czech-language documentary, a look at Theresienstadt, the “model” Czech ghetto set up by the Nazis to deceive the world about how well the Jews were treated.

Romper el Silencio – Serie de documentales internacionales

Romper el Silencio consiste en cinco películas en idiomas extranjeros que utilizan testimonios de Argentina, la República Checa, Hungría, Polonia, y Rusia y que fueron dirigidas por importantes directores de cine pertenecientes a estos países.

Para comprar el documental Romper el Silencio, favor contactar centros de venta locales y/o a través de Internet.

Algunos que vivieron: El director argentino Luis Puenzo, ganador del premio Oscar por su película La historia oficial, dirigió este documental en la lengua castellana. Puenzo entrelaza testimonios de sobrevivientes del Holocausto que actualmente viven en Argentina y Uruguay con material de video tanto antiguo como moderno. Asimismo, también explora las conexiones entre el nazismo y los capítulos oscuros de la historia moderna argentina.

Megtört hallgatás – nemzetközi dokumentumfilm sorozat

A Megtört hallgatás című filmsorozat öt különálló filmet tartalmaz. A filmeket egy-egy neves rendező készítette – Argentinában, Csehországban, Magyarországon, Lengyelországban és Oroszországban holokauszt túlélőkkel rögzített interjúk felhasználásával.

Amennyiben szeretné megvásárolni a Megtört hallgatás magyar kiadását, lépjen kapcsolatba a helyi vagy az online forgalmazóval.

A Holocaust szemei: magyarul beszélő dokumentumfilm, melyet Szász János rendezett, aki Holocaust túlélők gyermeke. A film középpontjában olyan túlélők visszaemlékezései vannak, akik gyermekek voltak a Holocaust idején.

“Прерванное молчание”

это международный документальный сериал, состоящий из пяти фильмов на иностранных языках. Фильмы сериала созданы на основе свидетельств людей, переживших Холокост, из Аргентины, Чешской республики, Венгрии, Польши и России, выдающимися режиссерами этих стран. Эти документальные фильмы уникальны по содержанию и структуре. В дополнение к видео свидетельствам из архива института, они включают в себя архивные и современные кадры, фотоснимки и авторскую музыку. Сериал снабжен субтитрами на 11 языках (английский включительно) и был показан по телевидению в 18 странах мира.

Сериал “Прерванное молчание” можно приобрести в местных видео магазинах или заказать на Интернете.

“Дети из бездны”: Те, которые пережили Холокост, рассказывают в этом русскоязычном фильме о сопротивлении, предательстве, спасении и желании отомстить. Режиссер Павел Чухрай (Фильм Чухрая “Вор” был номинирован на премию “Оскар”).

"Przerwane milczenie" - międzynarodowa seria filmów dokumentalnych.

"Przerwane milczenie" składa się z pięciu filmów stworzonych w różnych językach, ukazujących relacje osób z Argentyny, Czech, Węgier, Polski oraz Rosji. Filmy zostały wyreżyserowane przez wybitnych reżyserów, pochodzących z tych krajów.

W celu zakupienia danej wersji "Przerwanego milczenia", prosimy o kontakt z lokalnym i/lub internetowym dystrybutorem.

Pamiętam: Honorowy laureat Nagrody Akademii®, Andrzej Wajda, wyreżyserował ten polski film dokumentalny o czwórce ocalonych, którym ich polscy sąsiedzi udzielili pomocy lub też ich wydali.

Hlasy umlčených - mezinárodní dokumentární seriál

Série Hlasy umlčených sestává z pěti cizojazyčných filmů obsahujících svědectví z Argentiny, České republiky, Maďarska, Polska a Ruska, které byly natočeny uznávanými režiséry z těchto zemí.

Pro verzi v češtině kontaktujte prosím místní nebo internetové prodejce

Peklo na zemi: tento dokumentární film v češtině, nabízející pohled na Terezín, takzvané "modelové" ghetto vytvořené nacisty k balamucení světa a předstírání, že se se židy zachází dobře, natočil slavný český režisér Vojtěch Jasný.

The Last Days

The Last Days Poster

Hungary was the last country invaded by German forces in World War II; within months, the Nazis had deported more than 435,000 Hungarian Jews. Directed by James Moll and produced by June Beallor, The Academy Award®-winning The Last Days gives the personal accounts of five Hungarian Holocaust survivors, along with those of liberators, historians, and other eyewitnesses, to provide insight into the events of 1944 in Hungary and to address the themes of family, morality, forgiveness, tolerance, and rebuilding a life after the war. Available on VHS and DVD.

Purchase The Last Days

View the trailer above.

For local versions, check with your local and/or online retailers.

The Lost Children of Berlin

The Lost Children of Berlin Poster

Fifty-four years after the Gestapo shut down the last Jewish school in war-torn Berlin, former students traveled from around the world to reunite at the newly re-opened school, many unaware which classmates had survived. Directed by Elizabeth McIntyre and produced by Adrian Milne, The Lost Children of Berlin is a film that chronicles the lives of these students who attended the Grosse Hamburgerstrasse School. The film's executive producers were James Moll and June Beallor.

Survivors of the Holocaust

Survivors of the Shoah Poster

In this film, more than 20 Holocaust survivors share their memories of pre-war life, the rise of the Third Reich, and their own struggles to begin life anew after the war. Weaving their stories together with archival footage, the Institute's first documentary film conveys the devastating impact of Nazism on European Jewry. Allan Holzman directed the film. James Moll and June Beallor were the producers.