Jun 15, 2024
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Incredible Animation about the Holocaust
by Karl F. Cohen
The gate of Birkenau death camp. photo: unknownPLEASE support our GoFundMe campaign to cover research expenses for our articles and rebuilding the cineSOURCE site.
A FRIEND RECENTLY SENT ME
information about a book on an animation subject I knew literally nothing about, animated films about the Holocaust: “Holocaust Representations in Animated Documentaries” by Liat Ateir-Livny. Since I couldn’t find much information about the book online, I wrote several scholars and asked if they were familiar with the book or the films it might discus.
Only one person was able to help, Tsvika Oren, who teaches animation in Israel. He sent me a short list. Since then I’ve found a few other works on the subject. Fortunately, many of the shorts can be seen on the internet and trailers are posted online for the features. Although I only discuss shorts in English or with English subtitles, I found a whopping 23.
Some people who survived the Holocaust are now willing to share their painful memories, but for decades most preferred not to discuss their painful past. I remember a cousin once asking our grandmother what life was like in Europe before she came to America. “Life was awful, why talk about that?” she replied. Indeed, I never heard her or my grandfather discuss what happened to their Jewish relatives and friends who didn’t leave Europe. My mother told me it was too painful and depressing for her father to talk about that subject.
Today there is a growing interest in revealing some of those horrors from the past, “lest we forget.” Obviously, we don’t want history to repeat itself, but there is an antisemitic tendency to repress or deny that it happened, while time is running out for the last survivors to speak out.
“Holocaust Representations” tells of the first who spoke out using animation. The oldest are two by a Holocaust survivor, a three-minute abstract experimental piece with no dialog from 1958 and a feature made in 1982. The only other 20th century examples were a feature from 1995 and a 1998 short. But then there was a growth of interest in the topic, and the next film was from 2010 and 11 of the 23 films discussed were released after 2021.
Most of the animators who addressed the topic had strong personal reasons to explore this unpleasant subject, which inspired them to focus on creating, meaningful works that are educational and not unpleasant to watch. I discovered impressive, well thought out works that show victims surviving and rising above adversity. While the Holocaust is a depressing topic, dealing with it personally, one victim at a time, and showing their struggle to survive highlights elements of hope and humanism.
It is commonly known that animation can distance somewhat a viewer from feeling too empathetic towards the suffering of film’s characters. Had these film been made with actors, certain sequences might be too uncomfortable to watch. Animation erects an aesthetic barrier from extreme discomfort.
Obviously, there is an audience who wants to discover the truth about our pasts, no matter how upsetting. “Finding Your Roots”, on Public Television and hosted by Henry Louis Gates (2012-on) has become one of the networks most popular primetime shows, based on researching the long-forgotten ancestors of the show’s guests, who are fascinated by the history no matter how painful.
Unless you are Native American, whose ancestors were hunted by soldiers or white settlers who either stole their land or forced them into reservations, you or your ancestors were once immigrants. In many cases they came to escape famine, extreme poverty, pogroms or to be sold into slavery. For many of the Jewish guests on the show it is all to common to hear Gates inform them of unknown relatives among the millions who perished in Hitler’s death camps.
The poster for 'Sarah and the Squirrel'. photo: Y. GrossThe Films
WE SHALL NEVER DIE, 1958, by Yoram Gross, Australia, 3:18 min. This is an abstract, experimental film that might refer to the Holocaust.
SARAH AND THE SQUIRREL (also called "Sarah" or "The Seventh Match),1982, by Yoram Gross, Australia, feature (various length, depending on the version). This is a low budget production and probably a labor of love that never receive the distribution Gross must have hoped for. Gross was a Polish Jew and during WWII his family was on Oskar Schindler’s list; however, they chose to escape from being caught by moving several times from one hiding place to another. Mia Farrow provides the voice of the girl. Go here to see the trailer or the full the feature.
The film is about young Sarah who lives alone in a forest after her family is captured and taken to a concentration camp. She witnesses a group of Polish resistance fighters trying to blow up a railroad bridge, but they are captured. She decides to destroy the bridge, even though she lacked the tools to do it. To pad out the story Gross added some Disney touches such as her becoming friends with several animals of the forest and there is a great fire that might have been inspired by “Bambi”.
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, 1995, 1 hour, 42 minutes, Japan. This is a gorgeous feature directed by Akinori Nagaoka, made for a juvenile audience, which won an award at the Chicago International Childrens’ Festival.
SILENCE, 1998, by Sylvie Bringas and Orly Yadin, 10:28 min. A Holocaust story inspired by the life of Tana Ross. Her mother was taken to Auschwitz in 1942 and she never saw her again.
OVERNIGHT STAY (or "Übernactung" in German) 2009, by Daniela Sherer, USC, 8:26 (trailer only). A woman recalls her memories of the Holocaust.
I WAS A CHILD OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, 2010, by Ann Marie Fleming, 15 min. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
SEVEN MINUTES IN THE WARSAW GHETTO by John Oettinger, 2012, 8 min (clip only, full short can be rented for $2). This stop-motion puppet film is set in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942. The dark gothic tones symbolize the brevity and suffering of a boy by the cracked skin of the puppet. He is in the middle of the brutal world of the Holocaust. Based on an actual event, it is quite different than most Holocaust films as it does not offer a feeling of relief at the end.
In the film the boy peeks through a hole in the ghetto wall and sees a carrot lying on the sidewalk just on the other side. He tries to pull the carrot through the hole, unaware that two SS men are following his every move.
“Seven Minutes in the Warsaw Ghetto” received a Special Mention at the Annecy Film Festival and has won other awards. It was shown by more than 120 international film festivals including: Palm Springs, Edinburgh, Dubai, Hiroshima and the London Animation Film Festival. .
Image from 'Children of the Holocaust: Ruth'. photo: Z. WhittinghamCHILDREN OF THE HOLOCAUST: RUTH, 2014, BBC by Zane Whittingham, 6:23, UK, cutout animation. Although shown at the Annecy animation festival in 2014, unfortunately, this short is no longer available online.
SILENCE or "Aufseherin" in Germany, 2016, by Wilbert van Veldhuizen. 5:30. Based on a true story about a young woman in the Dutch resistance who is arrested by the Nazi police in 1944.
STRINGS, 2017, by Erin Morris, Falmouth University, UK, 3 min, animated mainly on TV Paint. Inspired by the work of Amnon Weinstein who restores violins from the Holocaust so that they can be played as a symbol of hope. A handsome work of art with curved lines that flow to the music. The images formed by the lines are visual symbols that the viewer is left to interpret. Some images suggest buildings of the concentration camps, a few might refer to violin strings breaking, or are they a reference to violence or death?
THE NUMBER ON GREAT-GRANDPA’S ARM, 2017, Amy Schatz. Holocaust History/HBO. Opening footage sequence, 1 min.
LA STELLA DI ANDRA E TATI, 2018. Rosalba Vitellaro and Alessandro Belli. Art Dir. Annalisa Corsi. A very attractive trailer in color is online, 1:45 min. Story of an Italian child who endured the Holocaust. A longer promo in Italian, more clips and people talking about the film is here.
Image from 'Where is Anne Frank'. photo: A. FolmanWHERE IS ANNE FRANK, Ari Folman. Belgium, 2021, 99 min. Kitty, the imaginary girl that Anne wrote to in her diary, seeks out the deceased Anne which results in her inspiring a wave of modern social justice for refugees. “Folman uses a well-known story from a fresh angle while powerfully placing it in the context of the horrific tragedy that surrounds it” (from IMDB). Variety said, the “Waltz With Bashir” (2008) director examines the Jewish author's legacy, speculating on how she might feel about the mistreatment of refugees in Europe today.” Previewed at the Cannes Film Festival.
VOICES IN THE VOID, 2021, 18 min. As a teenager, Rabbi Bent Melchior went into hiding with his family to escape Nazi deportation. In his own words, he tells a story of heroism and survival, and of the regular Danish people who took exceptional steps to save their neighbors.
CHARLOTTE, 2021, by Tahir Rana, Éric Warin. 92 min. France, Canada, trailer only. An independently produced biography of German-Jewish artist Charlotte Salomon (1917-1943) who was killed in Auschwitz.
TWO TREES IN JERUSALEM, 2022, 27 min, trailer only, search for full piece. An animated documentary produced by Humanity in Action, profiles the remarkable history of Eberhard and Donata Helmrich, who together saved the lives of countless Jews during the Holocaust.
HOLY HOLOCAUST, 2022. Osi Wald and Noa Berman-Herzberg, 17 min. It is an unusual art experience, a conversation between two women who are close friends. The artwork is quite stylized and the conversation seems carefully structured rather than improvised. Towards the end of the long discussion, it shifts to what might be factual or a dream that relates to Nazi Germany.
Image from 'Where is Anne Frank'. photo: A. FolmanLETTER TO A PIG, 2022. Tal Kantor. Israel, 16 min, trailer. A Holocaust survivor reads a letter he wrote to the pig who saved his life. A young schoolgirl hears his testimony in class and sinks into a surreal daydream where she confronts questions of identity, collective trauma, and the extremes of human nature. Oscar and Annie nominations. 2024. MAKING OF LETTER TO A PIG, and MAKING OF LETTER TO A PIG, THE TECHNIQUE, and MAKING OF LETTER TO A PIG, THE CHARACTERS.
THE TEDDY BEAR, Benjamine Gruen, 2022, 12 min. The true story of Michael Gruenbaum, survivor of Terezin Concentration Camp. The film is narrated by Michael Gruenbaum, who survived two-and-a-half years in Terezin as a child. It is a biographic statement and includes how a homemade stuffed toy saved his life. The film is described as appropriate for middle school age children and older. The film was made by Michael’s grandson who went to the Rhode Island School of Design.
THE HOLOCAUST DEATH TRAIN, 2022, 6 min. the "Death Trains" were used to transport innocent Jewish families to the concentration camps.
MY FATHER'S SECRETS, 2023, directed by Véra Belmont, France, Belgium, 74 minutes, trailer only. “A heartrending yet deeply uplifting tale of remembrance, love and the triumph of the human spirit.” My Father’s Secrets is an intimate, thought-provoking film that focuses on a family’s journey to reconciliation after facing the trauma of the Holocaust. At 20 years old, Michel’s father returned to his native Belgium, marrying and fathering four children. The story is the family’s journey to understand their father’s past as they grow up. A deeply uplifting tale of remembrance, love and the triumph of the human spirit. Featuring the voices of Elliott Gould and others. Based on the autobiographical novel by author/cartoonist Michel Kichka.
Image from 'Humo'. photo: A. FolmanHUMO, 2023, directed by Rita Basulyo, Mexico, puppets, trailer only. A somber emotionally moving work of art about an innocent young boy in a concentration where nobody in his world comes back. Film is dedicated “to our lost children.” It is an adaptation of the illustrated children’s book Humo by Antón Fortes. It was nnominated for an Annie award for best short and made the short list of animate shorts nominated for an Oscar.
BAMISTARIM, 2023. Tamar Dadon-Raveh. 8 min. Two young Jewish girls talking on board a ship bound for Israel about their life during WWII. English sub-titles.
Closing Comments
History is full of horrible wars that have not made this a better world. I grew up admiring Martin Luther King Jr. He tried to teach us to do something that seems to be much harder to do, to turn the other cheek, to love thy enemy and to build a better world together. Could the war between Israel and Hamas have been prevented if the two had been seeking a peaceful resolution over the years instead of acting as powerful advisories full of hate? I hope that someday world powers will learn to give peace a chance despite all our differences. Until that happens a few good people will continue to create various forms of media, reminding us for the sake of humanity that we need to change our ways.
The book that inspired this article, “Holocaust Representations in Animated Documentaries: The Contours of Commemoration” by Liat Steir-Livny, was published by Edinburgh University Press, is 264 pages and the hardback is $110.00. It is also available as an eBook. It examines representations of the Holocaust, survivors and their descendants in animated documentaries. One promotion for the book says vast majority of animated holocaust documentaries marginalize the horrors and focus on bravery, resilience, and hope, instead.
One of my friends in Europe was surprised I was writing about this subject now. They commented these films have been shown frequently in animation festivals all over Europe. I replied, ”We don’t have festivals like you do.” Also, there is no entry fee to submit films to festivals in Europe, so why should European animators pay to enter festivals in the US?
Posted on Mar 10, 2024 - 05:26 PM
by Karl F. Cohen
The gate of Birkenau death camp. photo: unknownA FRIEND RECENTLY SENT ME
information about a book on an animation subject I knew literally nothing about, animated films about the Holocaust: “Holocaust Representations in Animated Documentaries” by Liat Ateir-Livny. Since I couldn’t find much information about the book online, I wrote several scholars and asked if they were familiar with the book or the films it might discus.
Only one person was able to help, Tsvika Oren, who teaches animation in Israel. He sent me a short list. Since then I’ve found a few other works on the subject. Fortunately, many of the shorts can be seen on the internet and trailers are posted online for the features. Although I only discuss shorts in English or with English subtitles, I found a whopping 23.
Some people who survived the Holocaust are now willing to share their painful memories, but for decades most preferred not to discuss their painful past. I remember a cousin once asking our grandmother what life was like in Europe before she came to America. “Life was awful, why talk about that?” she replied. Indeed, I never heard her or my grandfather discuss what happened to their Jewish relatives and friends who didn’t leave Europe. My mother told me it was too painful and depressing for her father to talk about that subject.
Today there is a growing interest in revealing some of those horrors from the past, “lest we forget.” Obviously, we don’t want history to repeat itself, but there is an antisemitic tendency to repress or deny that it happened, while time is running out for the last survivors to speak out.
“Holocaust Representations” tells of the first who spoke out using animation. The oldest are two by a Holocaust survivor, a three-minute abstract experimental piece with no dialog from 1958 and a feature made in 1982. The only other 20th century examples were a feature from 1995 and a 1998 short. But then there was a growth of interest in the topic, and the next film was from 2010 and 11 of the 23 films discussed were released after 2021.
Most of the animators who addressed the topic had strong personal reasons to explore this unpleasant subject, which inspired them to focus on creating, meaningful works that are educational and not unpleasant to watch. I discovered impressive, well thought out works that show victims surviving and rising above adversity. While the Holocaust is a depressing topic, dealing with it personally, one victim at a time, and showing their struggle to survive highlights elements of hope and humanism.
It is commonly known that animation can distance somewhat a viewer from feeling too empathetic towards the suffering of film’s characters. Had these film been made with actors, certain sequences might be too uncomfortable to watch. Animation erects an aesthetic barrier from extreme discomfort.
Obviously, there is an audience who wants to discover the truth about our pasts, no matter how upsetting. “Finding Your Roots”, on Public Television and hosted by Henry Louis Gates (2012-on) has become one of the networks most popular primetime shows, based on researching the long-forgotten ancestors of the show’s guests, who are fascinated by the history no matter how painful.
Unless you are Native American, whose ancestors were hunted by soldiers or white settlers who either stole their land or forced them into reservations, you or your ancestors were once immigrants. In many cases they came to escape famine, extreme poverty, pogroms or to be sold into slavery. For many of the Jewish guests on the show it is all to common to hear Gates inform them of unknown relatives among the millions who perished in Hitler’s death camps.
The poster for 'Sarah and the Squirrel'. photo: Y. GrossWE SHALL NEVER DIE, 1958, by Yoram Gross, Australia, 3:18 min. This is an abstract, experimental film that might refer to the Holocaust.
SARAH AND THE SQUIRREL (also called "Sarah" or "The Seventh Match),1982, by Yoram Gross, Australia, feature (various length, depending on the version). This is a low budget production and probably a labor of love that never receive the distribution Gross must have hoped for. Gross was a Polish Jew and during WWII his family was on Oskar Schindler’s list; however, they chose to escape from being caught by moving several times from one hiding place to another. Mia Farrow provides the voice of the girl. Go here to see the trailer or the full the feature.
The film is about young Sarah who lives alone in a forest after her family is captured and taken to a concentration camp. She witnesses a group of Polish resistance fighters trying to blow up a railroad bridge, but they are captured. She decides to destroy the bridge, even though she lacked the tools to do it. To pad out the story Gross added some Disney touches such as her becoming friends with several animals of the forest and there is a great fire that might have been inspired by “Bambi”.
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, 1995, 1 hour, 42 minutes, Japan. This is a gorgeous feature directed by Akinori Nagaoka, made for a juvenile audience, which won an award at the Chicago International Childrens’ Festival.
SILENCE, 1998, by Sylvie Bringas and Orly Yadin, 10:28 min. A Holocaust story inspired by the life of Tana Ross. Her mother was taken to Auschwitz in 1942 and she never saw her again.
OVERNIGHT STAY (or "Übernactung" in German) 2009, by Daniela Sherer, USC, 8:26 (trailer only). A woman recalls her memories of the Holocaust.
I WAS A CHILD OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, 2010, by Ann Marie Fleming, 15 min. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
SEVEN MINUTES IN THE WARSAW GHETTO by John Oettinger, 2012, 8 min (clip only, full short can be rented for $2). This stop-motion puppet film is set in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942. The dark gothic tones symbolize the brevity and suffering of a boy by the cracked skin of the puppet. He is in the middle of the brutal world of the Holocaust. Based on an actual event, it is quite different than most Holocaust films as it does not offer a feeling of relief at the end.
In the film the boy peeks through a hole in the ghetto wall and sees a carrot lying on the sidewalk just on the other side. He tries to pull the carrot through the hole, unaware that two SS men are following his every move.
“Seven Minutes in the Warsaw Ghetto” received a Special Mention at the Annecy Film Festival and has won other awards. It was shown by more than 120 international film festivals including: Palm Springs, Edinburgh, Dubai, Hiroshima and the London Animation Film Festival. .
Image from 'Children of the Holocaust: Ruth'. photo: Z. WhittinghamSILENCE or "Aufseherin" in Germany, 2016, by Wilbert van Veldhuizen. 5:30. Based on a true story about a young woman in the Dutch resistance who is arrested by the Nazi police in 1944.
STRINGS, 2017, by Erin Morris, Falmouth University, UK, 3 min, animated mainly on TV Paint. Inspired by the work of Amnon Weinstein who restores violins from the Holocaust so that they can be played as a symbol of hope. A handsome work of art with curved lines that flow to the music. The images formed by the lines are visual symbols that the viewer is left to interpret. Some images suggest buildings of the concentration camps, a few might refer to violin strings breaking, or are they a reference to violence or death?
THE NUMBER ON GREAT-GRANDPA’S ARM, 2017, Amy Schatz. Holocaust History/HBO. Opening footage sequence, 1 min.
LA STELLA DI ANDRA E TATI, 2018. Rosalba Vitellaro and Alessandro Belli. Art Dir. Annalisa Corsi. A very attractive trailer in color is online, 1:45 min. Story of an Italian child who endured the Holocaust. A longer promo in Italian, more clips and people talking about the film is here.
Image from 'Where is Anne Frank'. photo: A. FolmanVOICES IN THE VOID, 2021, 18 min. As a teenager, Rabbi Bent Melchior went into hiding with his family to escape Nazi deportation. In his own words, he tells a story of heroism and survival, and of the regular Danish people who took exceptional steps to save their neighbors.
CHARLOTTE, 2021, by Tahir Rana, Éric Warin. 92 min. France, Canada, trailer only. An independently produced biography of German-Jewish artist Charlotte Salomon (1917-1943) who was killed in Auschwitz.
TWO TREES IN JERUSALEM, 2022, 27 min, trailer only, search for full piece. An animated documentary produced by Humanity in Action, profiles the remarkable history of Eberhard and Donata Helmrich, who together saved the lives of countless Jews during the Holocaust.
HOLY HOLOCAUST, 2022. Osi Wald and Noa Berman-Herzberg, 17 min. It is an unusual art experience, a conversation between two women who are close friends. The artwork is quite stylized and the conversation seems carefully structured rather than improvised. Towards the end of the long discussion, it shifts to what might be factual or a dream that relates to Nazi Germany.
Image from 'Where is Anne Frank'. photo: A. FolmanTHE TEDDY BEAR, Benjamine Gruen, 2022, 12 min. The true story of Michael Gruenbaum, survivor of Terezin Concentration Camp. The film is narrated by Michael Gruenbaum, who survived two-and-a-half years in Terezin as a child. It is a biographic statement and includes how a homemade stuffed toy saved his life. The film is described as appropriate for middle school age children and older. The film was made by Michael’s grandson who went to the Rhode Island School of Design.
THE HOLOCAUST DEATH TRAIN, 2022, 6 min. the "Death Trains" were used to transport innocent Jewish families to the concentration camps.
MY FATHER'S SECRETS, 2023, directed by Véra Belmont, France, Belgium, 74 minutes, trailer only. “A heartrending yet deeply uplifting tale of remembrance, love and the triumph of the human spirit.” My Father’s Secrets is an intimate, thought-provoking film that focuses on a family’s journey to reconciliation after facing the trauma of the Holocaust. At 20 years old, Michel’s father returned to his native Belgium, marrying and fathering four children. The story is the family’s journey to understand their father’s past as they grow up. A deeply uplifting tale of remembrance, love and the triumph of the human spirit. Featuring the voices of Elliott Gould and others. Based on the autobiographical novel by author/cartoonist Michel Kichka.
Image from 'Humo'. photo: A. FolmanBAMISTARIM, 2023. Tamar Dadon-Raveh. 8 min. Two young Jewish girls talking on board a ship bound for Israel about their life during WWII. English sub-titles.
Closing Comments
History is full of horrible wars that have not made this a better world. I grew up admiring Martin Luther King Jr. He tried to teach us to do something that seems to be much harder to do, to turn the other cheek, to love thy enemy and to build a better world together. Could the war between Israel and Hamas have been prevented if the two had been seeking a peaceful resolution over the years instead of acting as powerful advisories full of hate? I hope that someday world powers will learn to give peace a chance despite all our differences. Until that happens a few good people will continue to create various forms of media, reminding us for the sake of humanity that we need to change our ways.
The book that inspired this article, “Holocaust Representations in Animated Documentaries: The Contours of Commemoration” by Liat Steir-Livny, was published by Edinburgh University Press, is 264 pages and the hardback is $110.00. It is also available as an eBook. It examines representations of the Holocaust, survivors and their descendants in animated documentaries. One promotion for the book says vast majority of animated holocaust documentaries marginalize the horrors and focus on bravery, resilience, and hope, instead.
One of my friends in Europe was surprised I was writing about this subject now. They commented these films have been shown frequently in animation festivals all over Europe. I replied, ”We don’t have festivals like you do.” Also, there is no entry fee to submit films to festivals in Europe, so why should European animators pay to enter festivals in the US?
Posted on Mar 10, 2024 - 05:26 PM
