Jeffrey Katzenberg and Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, took a trip to Jerusalem late last month to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. The pair presented Herzog with a facsimile of the Hitler Letter, a correspondence written in 1919 by Adolf Hitler that espouses the destruction of the Jewish people by “a government of national strength.”
The piece is on permanent display in the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance in L.A. The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, fell on June 26, a date that marked the June 26, 1945, anniversary of the signing of the charter that established the United Nations by representatives of 50 countries. During the trip, Katzenberg also toured the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem for the first time.
“As the former head of the Jewish Agency, President Herzog has traveled the world and understands what the current global uptick of antisemitism and bigotry means.
The piece is on permanent display in the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance in L.A. The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, fell on June 26, a date that marked the June 26, 1945, anniversary of the signing of the charter that established the United Nations by representatives of 50 countries. During the trip, Katzenberg also toured the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem for the first time.
“As the former head of the Jewish Agency, President Herzog has traveled the world and understands what the current global uptick of antisemitism and bigotry means.
- 7/14/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Shari Redstone, the chair of Paramount Global and president and CEO of National Amusements, will be honored at the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance’s National Tribute Dinner — an annual gathering of many of the most powerful and influential people in Hollywood — with the organizations’ highest honor, the Humanitarian Award, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
The 68-year-old will be feted on the evening of May 10 at the Beverly Hilton.
Past Humanitarian Award honorees include Elizabeth Taylor, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Tom Cruise, Billy Crystal, Jim Gianopulos, Ted Sarandos, Jon Feltheimer, Bob Iger, George Clooney and Eddy Cue.
Swc’s founder and dean, Rabbi Marvin Hier, a two-time Oscar winner and member of the Academy, will, as always, preside over the National Tribute Dinner. Dinner chairs include Cruise, Cue, Iger, Katzenberg, JJ Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Dick Wolf and David Zaslav.
“We are honored that Shari Redstone is the recipient...
The 68-year-old will be feted on the evening of May 10 at the Beverly Hilton.
Past Humanitarian Award honorees include Elizabeth Taylor, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Tom Cruise, Billy Crystal, Jim Gianopulos, Ted Sarandos, Jon Feltheimer, Bob Iger, George Clooney and Eddy Cue.
Swc’s founder and dean, Rabbi Marvin Hier, a two-time Oscar winner and member of the Academy, will, as always, preside over the National Tribute Dinner. Dinner chairs include Cruise, Cue, Iger, Katzenberg, JJ Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Dick Wolf and David Zaslav.
“We are honored that Shari Redstone is the recipient...
- 4/10/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Rabbi Marvin Hier is the founder of Los Angeles’ Simon Wiesenthal Center and its Museum of Tolerance and Moriah Films. He is the only rabbi who has ever been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and he has won two Oscars as a producer of documentaries about the Holocaust.
It isn’t every day that an Orthodox rabbi is invited to deliver a prayer at the inauguration of an American president, but there I was on January 20, 2017 doing just that. To be clear, as the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, I have never endorsed any candidate from either party. But I was honored, as an American Jew born of poor immigrant parents, to stand before the nation and the world and, flanked by presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and incoming president Donald Trump,...
Rabbi Marvin Hier is the founder of Los Angeles’ Simon Wiesenthal Center and its Museum of Tolerance and Moriah Films. He is the only rabbi who has ever been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and he has won two Oscars as a producer of documentaries about the Holocaust.
It isn’t every day that an Orthodox rabbi is invited to deliver a prayer at the inauguration of an American president, but there I was on January 20, 2017 doing just that. To be clear, as the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, I have never endorsed any candidate from either party. But I was honored, as an American Jew born of poor immigrant parents, to stand before the nation and the world and, flanked by presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and incoming president Donald Trump,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Rabbi Marvin Hier
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Dalíland” star Ben Kingsley felt the presence of the famous painter when making his latest film, directed by Mary Harron.
“Some days [Salvador Dalí] would come, saying: ‘I will just sit here for a while. Put your brush on the canvas and good luck.’ Later on, I really felt he allowed me to make an attempt at portraying him,” he told Variety during an online press conference at Zurich Film Festival.
“He was mercurial, deliberately tried to wrong-foot people and quite difficult to pin down apart from the voice, the moustache, the eyes. We actually looked at several versions of his famous moustache. One could think: ‘It’s just a moustache!’ But it was his vigor, his eccentricity. His signature.”
The film, which premiered at Toronto, also stars Barbara Sukowa and disgraced actor Ezra Miller. Bankside Films and CAA handle the sales.
Kingsley, chosen as the recipient of this year’s Golden Icon Award,...
“Some days [Salvador Dalí] would come, saying: ‘I will just sit here for a while. Put your brush on the canvas and good luck.’ Later on, I really felt he allowed me to make an attempt at portraying him,” he told Variety during an online press conference at Zurich Film Festival.
“He was mercurial, deliberately tried to wrong-foot people and quite difficult to pin down apart from the voice, the moustache, the eyes. We actually looked at several versions of his famous moustache. One could think: ‘It’s just a moustache!’ But it was his vigor, his eccentricity. His signature.”
The film, which premiered at Toronto, also stars Barbara Sukowa and disgraced actor Ezra Miller. Bankside Films and CAA handle the sales.
Kingsley, chosen as the recipient of this year’s Golden Icon Award,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The relentless 15-year hunt for Adolf Eichmann, the notorious high-ranking Nazi criminal who fled Germany at the end of WW2 and hid in Argentina with his family, will be charted in a thriller series by Rose Bosch.
Titled “The Capture,” the six-part English-language series is being produced by Marc Missonnier and Christine de Bourbon-Busset at Lincoln TV, the Paris-based banner behind “Mirages” and “Cheyenne & Lola.” The script is now completed and the veteran producers are getting ready to introduce the project to potential partners, including broadcasters and streamers.
Bosch, a former investigative journalist who is passionate about history, previously wrote the script of Ridley Scott’s Christopher Columbus film “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” as well as penned and directed “The Roundup” which depicted the infamous Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel’ d’Hiv) in Paris. The 2010 movie, which sheds light on the lesser-known mass arrest of Jews, including children,...
Titled “The Capture,” the six-part English-language series is being produced by Marc Missonnier and Christine de Bourbon-Busset at Lincoln TV, the Paris-based banner behind “Mirages” and “Cheyenne & Lola.” The script is now completed and the veteran producers are getting ready to introduce the project to potential partners, including broadcasters and streamers.
Bosch, a former investigative journalist who is passionate about history, previously wrote the script of Ridley Scott’s Christopher Columbus film “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” as well as penned and directed “The Roundup” which depicted the infamous Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel’ d’Hiv) in Paris. The 2010 movie, which sheds light on the lesser-known mass arrest of Jews, including children,...
- 2/18/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Paley Center for Media on Wednesday is launching the first program in a quarterly series focused on the media’s role in combating anti-Semitism. The conversations, which come amid the recent heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East, are designed to increase the public’s understanding and awareness of the prejudice, exploring what antisemitism is, how to identify it, and what can be done about it.
The conversation, titled “PaleyImpact: Media’s Role in Identifying, Explaining, and Combating Antisemitism,” arrives today at 10 a.m. Et/7 p.m. Pt on the Paley Center’s YouTube Channel. It will feature Amy Bressman, president of Uja-Federation of New York; Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Simon Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action; Holly Huffnagle, U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, American Jewish Committee; Brad Meltzer, author and historian; and Mark Wilf, chair of the Board of Trustees for Jewish Federations of North America.
The conversation, titled “PaleyImpact: Media’s Role in Identifying, Explaining, and Combating Antisemitism,” arrives today at 10 a.m. Et/7 p.m. Pt on the Paley Center’s YouTube Channel. It will feature Amy Bressman, president of Uja-Federation of New York; Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Simon Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action; Holly Huffnagle, U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, American Jewish Committee; Brad Meltzer, author and historian; and Mark Wilf, chair of the Board of Trustees for Jewish Federations of North America.
- 5/19/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
"Hunters", set in 1977, stars Oscar winner Al Pacino as part of a group that discovers high-ranking 'Third Reich' criminals living among Americans as part of a 'deep state', conspiring to create a 'Fourth Reich' in the Us, co-starring Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, Kate Mulvany, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin, now streaming On Amazon Prime Video:
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
- 2/25/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"Hunters", a new Amazon Prime Video TV series set in 1977, stars Oscar winner Al Pacino ("Scent of A Woman") as part of a group that discovers high-ranking 'Third Reich' criminals living among Americans as part of a 'deep state', conspiring to create a 'Fourth Reich' in the Us, co-starring Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, Kate Mulvany, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin, streaming On Amazon Prime February 21, 2020:
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
- 1/4/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"Hunters", a new Amazon Prime Video TV series set in 1977, stars Oscar winner Al Pacino ("Scent of A Woman") as part of a group that discovers high-ranking 'Third Reich' criminals living among Americans as part of a 'deep state', conspiring to create a 'Fourth Reich' in the Us, co-starring Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, Kate Mulvany, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin, streaming On Amazon Prime in 2020:
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
- 11/22/2019
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"Hunters", a new Amazon Prime Video TV series set in 1977, stars Oscar winner Al Pacino ("Scent of A Woman") as part of a group that discovers high-ranking 'Third Reich' criminals living among Americans as part of a 'deep state', conspiring to create a 'Fourth Reich' in the Us, co-starring Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, Kate Mulvany, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin, streaming On Amazon Prime in 2020:
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
"...the story, inspired by the life of Simon Wiesenthal, sees the 'Hunters' set out on a bloody quest to bring 'Third Reich' officials to justice, thwarting their new genocidal plans..."
"Hunters" was created by David Weil and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, with Sonar Entertainment.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hunters"...
- 11/3/2019
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Sir Ben Kingsley has built a career on real-life portrayals, from his Oscar-winning role in “Gandhi” to lauded composer Dmitri Shostakovich in “Testimony.” However, it’s his work in projects related to the Holocaust and World War II that may resonate the most, including playing Anne Frank’s father in a 2001 miniseries, Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in 1989’s “Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story,” and perhaps most notably, Oskar Schindler’s accountant Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List.”
Kingsley’s obvious depth of feeling for those parts make it striking that his latest role puts him literally on the wrong side of history. Chris Weitz’s “Operation Finale” dramatizes the 1960 operation to bring former SS officer and unrepentant Nazi Adolf Eichmann (Kingsley) to justice following his years-long escape to Argentina. He’s a twisted, terrifying figure, and even Kingsley didn’t relish the work, but he...
Kingsley’s obvious depth of feeling for those parts make it striking that his latest role puts him literally on the wrong side of history. Chris Weitz’s “Operation Finale” dramatizes the 1960 operation to bring former SS officer and unrepentant Nazi Adolf Eichmann (Kingsley) to justice following his years-long escape to Argentina. He’s a twisted, terrifying figure, and even Kingsley didn’t relish the work, but he...
- 8/29/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Ben Kingsley has embodied Jewish heroes as iconic as Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal (“Murderers Among Us”), Anne Frank’s father Otto (“Anne Frank: The Whole Story”), and businessman Itzhak Stern (“Schindler’s List”). In “Operation Finale,” he adopts another perspective altogether, portraying the ultimate villain in Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
The innately intense Kingsley isn’t an ideal match for the mild-mannered murderer who inspired philosopher Hannah Arendt to coin the phrase “the banality of evil.” But like the rest of the cast, he holds our attention even when the movie buckles under the burden of earnest intentions.
Once you get past the jarring collection of mismatched accents, it’s a pleasure to be in the company of pros like Oscar Isaac, Mélanie Laurent (“Beginners”), Nick Kroll, and Michael Aronov (“The Americans”). But as Mossad agents, their characters find little pleasure in the task designed by their intimidating boss...
The innately intense Kingsley isn’t an ideal match for the mild-mannered murderer who inspired philosopher Hannah Arendt to coin the phrase “the banality of evil.” But like the rest of the cast, he holds our attention even when the movie buckles under the burden of earnest intentions.
Once you get past the jarring collection of mismatched accents, it’s a pleasure to be in the company of pros like Oscar Isaac, Mélanie Laurent (“Beginners”), Nick Kroll, and Michael Aronov (“The Americans”). But as Mossad agents, their characters find little pleasure in the task designed by their intimidating boss...
- 8/22/2018
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Chicago – The presence of Sir Ben Kingsley – yes, he was knighted in his native Britain – is the first thing that commands a room. The regal and precise actor, who was awarded an Best Actor Oscar for his definitive performance in “Gandhi,” is back portraying a native of India in his latest film, “Learning to Drive.”
The film is a transition story for the two main characters. Darwan (Kingsley) is a Indian Sikh who gained political asylum in America shortly before September 11th. He is a driving instructor, and encounters a new student in Wendy (Patricia Clarkson). The woman is going through a bitter divorce, and is using the potential of learning to drive to gain more freedom. The two disparate souls help each other in essential ways, and at the same time weather the storm of some extreme life changes.
Sir Ben Kingsley as Darwan in ‘Learning to Drive’
Photo...
The film is a transition story for the two main characters. Darwan (Kingsley) is a Indian Sikh who gained political asylum in America shortly before September 11th. He is a driving instructor, and encounters a new student in Wendy (Patricia Clarkson). The woman is going through a bitter divorce, and is using the potential of learning to drive to gain more freedom. The two disparate souls help each other in essential ways, and at the same time weather the storm of some extreme life changes.
Sir Ben Kingsley as Darwan in ‘Learning to Drive’
Photo...
- 9/2/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
British actor and Oscar winner Sir Ben Kingsley, whose new film Learning to Drive is in theaters now, shared 25 surprising (and very English) facts about himself with Us Weekly. 1. I most admire Simon Wiesenthal for sharing his incredible life story as a Holocaust survivor. 2. I’m looking forward to the films in production with our company, Lavender Pictures. 3. I’ve never taken anything from a set. 4. My stage name [real name: Krishna Pandit Bhanji] comes from family nicknames. Ben was my dad's nickname. Kingsley is from my [...]...
- 8/20/2015
- Us Weekly
On Sunday, November 9, Wiesenthal, the new play about the legendary Simon Wiesenthal will mark the 76th Anniversary of Kristallnacht with a special post-show candlelight remembrance. Immediately following the matinee, special guest Tovah Feldshuh Golda's Balcony, Irena's Vow will join Wiesenthal's playwright and star, Tom Dugan, in a conversation and candle lighting ceremony with audience members reflecting on the historic 'Night of Broken Glass.'...
- 10/31/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Shadows From My Past is like a box stuffed with old letters and photographs: Things may be out of order, but, stay with it, and you’ll soon have voices in your head, a story even. This is what Carl and Gita Kaufman have essentially done in this documentary — collected letters and photos of Gita’s family, who lived in Vienna happily until Hitler’s “anschluss” with Austria. Kaufman, who was a small child then, dutifully reads from the letters. Her voice is deadpan and slow, as though she wants to let the words speak for themselves, but it can be monotonous. Kaufman also lands startling, if brief, interviews with luminaries like Kurt Waldheim and Simon Wiesenthal, plus journalists and academics who ruminate about Austria a...
- 8/26/2014
- Village Voice
Brooklyn-based distributor Factory 25 has acquired North American rights to Hellaware, writer-director Michael M. Bilandic’s indie satire about a wannabe photographer caught in the lowbrow-highbrow collision between the NYC art gallery scene and the grimy rapcore world of Juggalo culture. Keith Poulson stars as Nate, whose coked-up YouTube search leads him to a music video by Insane Clown Posse knockoff the Young Torture Killers. The fictional band drew free publicity for the film when online viewers took a controversial music video from the movie for the real thing. Factory 25 will open the film in NYC on September 26 and digitally on September 23.
DigiNext has pacted directly with indie shingle Vision Vehicle Productions for worldwide rights to two features from the label co-founded by actor Malcolm Goodwin (American Gangster, Leatherheads, Breakout Kings, iZombie). Faith-inspired flick Pass The Light stars Cameron Palatas as a 17-year-old high school student who runs for Congress to...
DigiNext has pacted directly with indie shingle Vision Vehicle Productions for worldwide rights to two features from the label co-founded by actor Malcolm Goodwin (American Gangster, Leatherheads, Breakout Kings, iZombie). Faith-inspired flick Pass The Light stars Cameron Palatas as a 17-year-old high school student who runs for Congress to...
- 8/15/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Cinedigm Corp has struck a multi-year deal with Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group to handle home entertainment distribution on the Moriah Films’ documentary film collection of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
The deal covers home video, digital, television and non-theatrical rights in the Us and all digital rights in Canada. The titles will also be available on Cinedigm’s direct-to-consumer digital channel, Docurama.
Los Angeles-based Moriah Films has won two best documentary Academy Awards for Genocide in 1981 and The Long Way Home in 1997.
The Moriah catalogue includes The Prime Ministers: Tnhe Pioneers; Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny:
I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy Of Simon Wiesenthal; Ever Again; and Echoes That Remain.
“Cinedigm is proud to represent this historically rich and profoundly important catalogue of films and, through Docurama, provide another outlet to those searching for beautifully produced films that tell a moving story of a people’s courage, faith and unbelievable...
The deal covers home video, digital, television and non-theatrical rights in the Us and all digital rights in Canada. The titles will also be available on Cinedigm’s direct-to-consumer digital channel, Docurama.
Los Angeles-based Moriah Films has won two best documentary Academy Awards for Genocide in 1981 and The Long Way Home in 1997.
The Moriah catalogue includes The Prime Ministers: Tnhe Pioneers; Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny:
I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy Of Simon Wiesenthal; Ever Again; and Echoes That Remain.
“Cinedigm is proud to represent this historically rich and profoundly important catalogue of films and, through Docurama, provide another outlet to those searching for beautifully produced films that tell a moving story of a people’s courage, faith and unbelievable...
- 8/14/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Itzik Lerner has gained access to Israel’s Nafha prison for documentary Secret Link.
Director Itzik Lerner has gained unprecedented access to Israel’s notorious Nafha political prison and its Palestinian inmates, including key figures from the militant group Hamas, for his upcoming documentary Secret Link.
Jerusalem-based documentary sales agent Ruth Diskin is backing and handling international sales on the project.
“It took Itzik six years to gain permission to shoot in the jail, which is one of the most protected facilities in Israel,” said Diskin, who works under the Ruth Diskin Films banner.
Lerner has been filming in the jail in southern Israel sporadically since April. Access has been denied during the current escalation of the conflict. More than 5,500 Palestinian political prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails.
“We already have some rough footage,” said Diskin. “Itzik has unique access to both the prison and the inmates, some of them Hamas militants, who are keen...
Director Itzik Lerner has gained unprecedented access to Israel’s notorious Nafha political prison and its Palestinian inmates, including key figures from the militant group Hamas, for his upcoming documentary Secret Link.
Jerusalem-based documentary sales agent Ruth Diskin is backing and handling international sales on the project.
“It took Itzik six years to gain permission to shoot in the jail, which is one of the most protected facilities in Israel,” said Diskin, who works under the Ruth Diskin Films banner.
Lerner has been filming in the jail in southern Israel sporadically since April. Access has been denied during the current escalation of the conflict. More than 5,500 Palestinian political prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails.
“We already have some rough footage,” said Diskin. “Itzik has unique access to both the prison and the inmates, some of them Hamas militants, who are keen...
- 7/17/2014
- ScreenDaily
Gary Oldman has extended his apology for recent controversial remarks in an interview with Playboy.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor said he should have known better.
In the expletive-filled piece, Oldman criticised Hollywood and appeared to defend Mel Gibson for making anti-Semitic remarks.
"It was an article I did with Playboy and I said some things that were poorly considered," Oldman explained.
"Once I saw it in print, I saw that it was insensitive, pernicious and ill-informed. I am a public figure, I should be an example and inspiration and I am an a-hole. I am 56. I should know better. I extend my apology and my love and best wishes to my fan base."
He continued: "Words have meaning and they carry weight. And they carry on long after you've said them. I don't condone or excuse the words that I used in any context.
"I just basically shouldn't have used them,...
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor said he should have known better.
In the expletive-filled piece, Oldman criticised Hollywood and appeared to defend Mel Gibson for making anti-Semitic remarks.
"It was an article I did with Playboy and I said some things that were poorly considered," Oldman explained.
"Once I saw it in print, I saw that it was insensitive, pernicious and ill-informed. I am a public figure, I should be an example and inspiration and I am an a-hole. I am 56. I should know better. I extend my apology and my love and best wishes to my fan base."
He continued: "Words have meaning and they carry weight. And they carry on long after you've said them. I don't condone or excuse the words that I used in any context.
"I just basically shouldn't have used them,...
- 6/26/2014
- Digital Spy
Former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters came under fire recently, after a concert in Belgium where the band's famous inflatable pig floated around an arena with the Star of David branded on it. Also featured on the pig were dollar signs, a hammer and sickle symbol representing the Soviet Union, the Shell oil company logo and what looks like a silhouette of a man giving a Nazi salute.
One concert goer, an Israeli named Alon Onfus Asif who lives in Belgium, was offended by the perceived message. "That was the only religious-national symbol which appeared among other symbols for fascism, dictatorships and oppression of people," he tells Yediot Ahronot, "Waters crossed the line and gave expression to an anti-Semitic message, beyond all his messages of anti-militancy."
Once the news spread, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, released a statement. He tells The Amgemeiner, "With this...
One concert goer, an Israeli named Alon Onfus Asif who lives in Belgium, was offended by the perceived message. "That was the only religious-national symbol which appeared among other symbols for fascism, dictatorships and oppression of people," he tells Yediot Ahronot, "Waters crossed the line and gave expression to an anti-Semitic message, beyond all his messages of anti-militancy."
Once the news spread, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, released a statement. He tells The Amgemeiner, "With this...
- 8/5/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
When I think of Sean Penn’s most unsettling cinematic creations, I’m inclined to learn towards his cruel Vietnam sergeant in Casualties of War or his death-row inmate in Dead Man Walking. But his character in This Must Be the Place might just take the cake. In this Cannes 2011 film, slated for release on Nov. 2, Penn plays a former goth-pop god who hasn’t given up the iconic look that helped make him famous. When his father — a Holocaust survivor — passes away, he inherits the mission to track down his dad’s concentration camp tormentor. But it’s not...
- 9/4/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who rode out most of the Holocaust in an Amsterdam attic before perishing in a Nazi concentration camp, has been posthumously converted to Mormonism, according to reports.
Converting dead people is a common practice in the Mormom faith, which considers itself the fastest growing religion in the world. The church professes that this posthumous conversion gives the dead one last chance to be granted entrance to the Celestial Kingdom in the afterlife.
Still, the church has come under fire before for converting Holocaust victims. Recently, the church apologized for converting the parents of Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal.
"The Church keeps its word and is absolutely firm in its commitment to not accept the names of Holocaust victims for proxy baptism," the church said in a statement. "It is distressing when an individual willfully violates the Church's policy and something that should...
Converting dead people is a common practice in the Mormom faith, which considers itself the fastest growing religion in the world. The church professes that this posthumous conversion gives the dead one last chance to be granted entrance to the Celestial Kingdom in the afterlife.
Still, the church has come under fire before for converting Holocaust victims. Recently, the church apologized for converting the parents of Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal.
"The Church keeps its word and is absolutely firm in its commitment to not accept the names of Holocaust victims for proxy baptism," the church said in a statement. "It is distressing when an individual willfully violates the Church's policy and something that should...
- 2/26/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
At first glance this clip of Sean Penn's kooky rock star in This Must Be The Place looks like Robert Smith's take on The Straight Story. Which isn't too far from the truth. Any resemblance to the Cure frontman is purely deliberate in Penn's performance - Smith was a conscious jumping-off point for the radically tousled ex-rocker Cheyenne - but the road trip he's embarking on here owes even more to The Boys From Brazil.Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, whose political thriller Il Divo won him a stack of plaudits in 2009, This Must Be The Place sees Cheyenne tap into his inner Expendable to hunt down the Nazi who killed his father. Helping in his unlikely quest is the ever-wonderful Judd Hirsch as a Simon Wiesenthal-alike Nazi hunter and the also-ever-wonderful Frances McDormand as Cheyenne's long-suffering wife. brightcove.createExperiences(); Moments of Lynchian weirdness sit cheek-by-jowl with a...
- 2/24/2012
- EmpireOnline
The First Amendment denotes a separation between Church and State. However, nowhere in the U.S. Constitution is there a clause proposing separation between Church and Oscar voters, which is why Rabbi Marvin Hier is able to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. How did this Talmudist and founder of the Jewish human rights organization, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, find himself voting for the year's best films? According to the New York Times, it all started through his production company, Moriah Films, which produces documentaries on contemporary Jewish history -- the first of which, "Genocide," was narrated by Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Welles. As Hier recounted to writer Michael Cieply: "On his way to the first day's voice work with [Elizabeth] Taylor, Rabbi Hier picked up a salted beef sandwich from a deli, so he could keep kosher. 'Rabbi, what is that delicious smell?' he recalls Ms.
- 2/3/2012
- by Alex Suskind
- Moviefone
Katie Holmes has gone from glamorous to unsophisticated. After turning heads on a recent red carpet appearance with her stunning black dress, the Jackie Kennedy of "The Kennedys" was snapped looking way too casual as she went shopping at Barneys in Beverly Hills on Friday afternoon, May 6.
For the retail therapy outing, the 32-year-old wife of Tom Cruise opted to go with a form-fitting red tank top. She paired up the belly-showing top with snug jeans and a pair of black flats. Going solo without daughter Suri, the actress was seen cruising around the shoe section of the store with a wallet in hand.
On Thursday night, May 5, Katie accompanied husband Tom to the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Annual National Tribute Dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where he picked up the Humanitarian Award. Coming to the event, she looked stunning in a low-cut black dress with green satin waistband. She...
For the retail therapy outing, the 32-year-old wife of Tom Cruise opted to go with a form-fitting red tank top. She paired up the belly-showing top with snug jeans and a pair of black flats. Going solo without daughter Suri, the actress was seen cruising around the shoe section of the store with a wallet in hand.
On Thursday night, May 5, Katie accompanied husband Tom to the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Annual National Tribute Dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where he picked up the Humanitarian Award. Coming to the event, she looked stunning in a low-cut black dress with green satin waistband. She...
- 5/7/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Katie Holmes and Connor Cruise were by Tom Cruise's side last night as the actor picked up an award from the Wiesenthal Center at the Four Seasons Hotel in La. Tom earned the Jewish human rights organization's humanitarian honor, and the distinction was earned due to his longtime support of their Museum of Tolerance in addition to work bringing Nazi atrocities to light. He was especially able to reveal WWII abuses in the film Valkyrie, playing a German soldier who attempted to assassinate Hitler. Tom had friends and business partners from movie projects of the past, present, and future on hand to wish him well. His old Jerry Maguire buddy, Cuba Gooding, Jr., turned out, along with his Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol friends like Jeremy Renner, who's actually taking over the Mi franchise, and Paula Patton. J.J. Abrams, who wrote the script for the latest installment of the action series,...
- 5/6/2011
- by Allie Merriam
- Popsugar.com
Between Two Worlds
Directed by Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow
2011, USA, 70 mins.
This is a film about having independent opinions in the face of forces diametrically opposed. In 2009, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival screened a controversial film called Rachel, a documentary about an American activist named Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003. The choice to screen the film provoked backlash from pro-Israel groups. In light of the controversy, Sfjff invited a speaker from one of the groups opposed to the film to the screening, in order to make a statement. Pro-Palestinian activists shouted him down. The entire debacle was deeply offensive to directors Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow, who are committed to the idea of free speech and reject the notion that a person’s opinion on Israel should affect that person’s standing as a Jew. It also sparked a journey into the heart...
Directed by Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow
2011, USA, 70 mins.
This is a film about having independent opinions in the face of forces diametrically opposed. In 2009, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival screened a controversial film called Rachel, a documentary about an American activist named Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003. The choice to screen the film provoked backlash from pro-Israel groups. In light of the controversy, Sfjff invited a speaker from one of the groups opposed to the film to the screening, in order to make a statement. Pro-Palestinian activists shouted him down. The entire debacle was deeply offensive to directors Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow, who are committed to the idea of free speech and reject the notion that a person’s opinion on Israel should affect that person’s standing as a Jew. It also sparked a journey into the heart...
- 5/4/2011
- by DaveRobson
- SoundOnSight
Starz Entertainment has acquired five documentaries from Moriah Films of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Simon Wiesenthal, a survivor of the Nazi death camps, dedicated his life to documenting the crimes of the Holocaust and to locating the perpetrators still at large. His work stands as a reminder and a warning for future generations. Academy Award.winning films Genocide and The Long Way Home, as well as I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, Unlikely Heroes and Liberation. The important films will air on Starz.s IndiePlex channel on October 1, 2009 beginning at 4:00 p.m. (et/pt). The October 1st premiere date marks the anniversary of the mass, open execution of more than 1,000 of...
- 9/22/2009
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Click here to read the first part of the memories about the documentaries of Mark Jonathan Harris. The second part features discusses three more unique documentaries.
Unlikely Heroes is an unusual look at the time of the Holocaust. This film is seven profiles in courage about seven remarkable individuals who fought back and tried to save Jews from annihilation or at least tried to provide solace to those in the camps. Each person has their own thematic music with its own individual style. As the film grew so did the score. Though a great deal of the score is original I did weave in a few appropriate folk melodies as part of the overall tapestry. I even opened the Vienna scene with a lift from the Brahms Piano Sonata in F Minor. I feel that these quotes give the score a sense of the times and a sense of place.
Unlikely Heroes is an unusual look at the time of the Holocaust. This film is seven profiles in courage about seven remarkable individuals who fought back and tried to save Jews from annihilation or at least tried to provide solace to those in the camps. Each person has their own thematic music with its own individual style. As the film grew so did the score. Though a great deal of the score is original I did weave in a few appropriate folk melodies as part of the overall tapestry. I even opened the Vienna scene with a lift from the Brahms Piano Sonata in F Minor. I feel that these quotes give the score a sense of the times and a sense of place.
- 4/28/2009
- Daily Film Music Blog
Dame Helen Mirren is determined to perfect her role as a Jewish secret agent in forthcoming movie The Debt - the British actress has reportedly been taking Hebrew lessons.
The Queen star is currently in Israel filming scenes for the movie, in which she plays a Mossad spy searching for a Nazi war criminal.
And in order to do the character justice, Mirren has been learning all about Jewish history, according to British newspaper The Daily Express.
A source tells the publication, "Helen has spent the past six weeks reading the history of Israel, Mossad and the life and times of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and she's learning Hebrew, too. She's really taking this seriously and she's totally immersed into the way of life over there."...
The Queen star is currently in Israel filming scenes for the movie, in which she plays a Mossad spy searching for a Nazi war criminal.
And in order to do the character justice, Mirren has been learning all about Jewish history, according to British newspaper The Daily Express.
A source tells the publication, "Helen has spent the past six weeks reading the history of Israel, Mossad and the life and times of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and she's learning Hebrew, too. She's really taking this seriously and she's totally immersed into the way of life over there."...
- 2/27/2009
- WENN
Helen Mirren is learning Hebrew. The 63-year-old actress - who plays a Jewish spy in upcoming film "The Debt" - is so serious about her latest role she has spent weeks in Israel studying the ancient language.
Helen - who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 2006 film "The Queen" - is also researching Israeli history, Nazism and the Mossad spy organization.
A source said: "Helen has spent past six weeks reading the history of Israel, Mossad and the life and times of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and she's learning Hebrew too."
"She's really taking this seriously and she's totally immersed herself into the way of life over there."...
Helen - who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 2006 film "The Queen" - is also researching Israeli history, Nazism and the Mossad spy organization.
A source said: "Helen has spent past six weeks reading the history of Israel, Mossad and the life and times of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and she's learning Hebrew too."
"She's really taking this seriously and she's totally immersed herself into the way of life over there."...
- 2/27/2009
- icelebz.com
COLOGNE, Germany -- Politics past and present, an apocalyptic fantasy set in modern-day Russia and the art of cooking a good meal are among the highlights of this year's Berlinale Special, the gala sidebar of the Berlin International Film Festival.
"I Have Never Forgotten You -- The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal," Richard Trank's documentary on the legendary Nazi hunter, will have its world premiere in Berlin. The documentary, narrated by Nicole Kidman, includes previously unseen archival material as well as interviews with Wiesenthal's closest friends and family.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who co-wrote and co-produced the film, will attend the premiere.
Another highly political film, "The Lark Farm", from Italian brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, will debut in the sidebar. Starring Paz Vega, Germany's Moritz Bleibtreu, Arsinee Khanjian and Angela Molina, the film focuses on an Armenian family in Turkey in May 1915 as the Ottoman Empire orders the expulsion and widespread slaughter of the Armenian minority.
"I Have Never Forgotten You -- The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal," Richard Trank's documentary on the legendary Nazi hunter, will have its world premiere in Berlin. The documentary, narrated by Nicole Kidman, includes previously unseen archival material as well as interviews with Wiesenthal's closest friends and family.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who co-wrote and co-produced the film, will attend the premiere.
Another highly political film, "The Lark Farm", from Italian brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, will debut in the sidebar. Starring Paz Vega, Germany's Moritz Bleibtreu, Arsinee Khanjian and Angela Molina, the film focuses on an Armenian family in Turkey in May 1915 as the Ottoman Empire orders the expulsion and widespread slaughter of the Armenian minority.
- 1/25/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Moriah Films
NEW YORK -- Examining the timely and unfortunately pertinent topic of the renewed intensity of anti-Semitism in Europe, this documentary from screenwriter-director Richard Trank ("The Long Way Home") offers a litany of images and sound bites that are all too disturbing. Although "Ever Again" lacks the dramatic focus that would make it truly distinctive, it offers a timely wake-up call that should be well heeded. The film is playing in about 20 theaters in major U.S. cities.
Produced by a division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and narrated by Kevin Costner, the film examines the resurgence of neo-Nazi organizations and political parties as well as the Islamic religious fundamentalism that is rearing its head in such countries as the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It utilizes generous amounts of cautionary commentary from the center's Rabbi Marvin Hier, who co-produced, and lawyer and social commentator Alan Dershowitz.
The film explores a wide range of disturbing trends and symptoms, from Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramango's anti-Semitic comments to the rise in Germany of the National Democratic Party, which owes no small debt to the Nazis. Included is footage of a large neo-Nazi rally, complete with rock music featuring lyrics excoriating Jews, which was held less than an hour from Berlin.
Also profiled are militant Muslim leaders who, having been expelled from various Middle Eastern countries, have settled in large European cities where they are given free rein to deliver their inflammatory cries to violence.
The main problem with the film is its lack of context and background information, as it seems to rely much more heavily on the shock value of its images. Running a mere 73 minutes, it has a sketchy quality that will prove unsatisfying to those looking for something a bit thematically deeper than a simple warning bulletin.
NEW YORK -- Examining the timely and unfortunately pertinent topic of the renewed intensity of anti-Semitism in Europe, this documentary from screenwriter-director Richard Trank ("The Long Way Home") offers a litany of images and sound bites that are all too disturbing. Although "Ever Again" lacks the dramatic focus that would make it truly distinctive, it offers a timely wake-up call that should be well heeded. The film is playing in about 20 theaters in major U.S. cities.
Produced by a division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and narrated by Kevin Costner, the film examines the resurgence of neo-Nazi organizations and political parties as well as the Islamic religious fundamentalism that is rearing its head in such countries as the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It utilizes generous amounts of cautionary commentary from the center's Rabbi Marvin Hier, who co-produced, and lawyer and social commentator Alan Dershowitz.
The film explores a wide range of disturbing trends and symptoms, from Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramango's anti-Semitic comments to the rise in Germany of the National Democratic Party, which owes no small debt to the Nazis. Included is footage of a large neo-Nazi rally, complete with rock music featuring lyrics excoriating Jews, which was held less than an hour from Berlin.
Also profiled are militant Muslim leaders who, having been expelled from various Middle Eastern countries, have settled in large European cities where they are given free rein to deliver their inflammatory cries to violence.
The main problem with the film is its lack of context and background information, as it seems to rely much more heavily on the shock value of its images. Running a mere 73 minutes, it has a sketchy quality that will prove unsatisfying to those looking for something a bit thematically deeper than a simple warning bulletin.
- 12/13/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Simon Wiesenthal Center dean and founder Rabbi Marvin Hier and director Richard Trank have started production on a new, feature-length documentary examining the life of Simon Wiesenthal. Nicole Kidman will narrate the film, produced by the center's documentary films division Moriah Films, which is eyeing a fall 2006 release. Funded by a grant from board members Roland and Dawn Arnall, the film will feature interviews with long-time Wiesenthal associates, government leaders from around the world, friends and family members. Edward Noeltner's Cinema Management Group will handle presales on the project.
- 2/14/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jewish leaders have demanded British royal Prince Harry visit the concentration camp at Auschwitz, Poland - following his controversial decision to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party at the weekend. Critics were outraged by the heir's gaffe and want him to join a group visiting the site later this month, to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the American-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, says, "This was a shameful act displaying insensitivity for the victims, not just for those soldiers of his own country who gave their lives to defeat Nazism but to the victims of the Holocaust. We strongly urge Prince Harry to accompany the British delegation on January 27 to the Auschwitz death camp to commemorate 60 years since liberation. There he will see the results of the hated symbol he so foolishly and brazenly chose to wear."...
- 1/14/2005
- WENN
Screened at the Hollywood International Film Festival
The latest production from the Oscar-winning Moriah Films division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, "Unlikely Heroes" goes beyond the well-documented Warsaw Ghetto uprising to take a fascinating look at seven lesser-known individual paths to resistance.
By incorporating interviews -- in some cases with the surviving subjects -- along with recently unearthed archival footage and photographs as well as newly filmed sequences establishing the international locations where the events took place, director Richard Trank has crafted a moving documentary that should go on to receive considerable attention following its Hollywood film festival premiere.
Included among those profiles in courage is the remarkable story of a rabbi's son who joined the underground and would frequently disguise himself as a high-ranking Nazi in the Hungarian Arrow Cross in order to save the lives of many of his brethren.
Also chronicled are the efforts of a Vienna-born artist and early art therapy advocate who encouraged children in her Theresienstadt camp to secretly draw and paint as a way to escape the everyday horrors of the camp; a pair of Polish sisters in Auschwitz who systematically snuck bits of gunpowder out of a munitions factory until there was enough to blow up a crematorium; and a young French boy who survived the camps by performing songs for fellow Jews and Nazis alike and would later change his name to Robert Clary, of "Hogan's Heroes" fame.
Connecting the self-contained portraits is the stirring narration provided by Ben Kingsley, tastefully underscored by Lee Holdridge's symphonic compositions and the use of period songs.
The latest production from the Oscar-winning Moriah Films division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, "Unlikely Heroes" goes beyond the well-documented Warsaw Ghetto uprising to take a fascinating look at seven lesser-known individual paths to resistance.
By incorporating interviews -- in some cases with the surviving subjects -- along with recently unearthed archival footage and photographs as well as newly filmed sequences establishing the international locations where the events took place, director Richard Trank has crafted a moving documentary that should go on to receive considerable attention following its Hollywood film festival premiere.
Included among those profiles in courage is the remarkable story of a rabbi's son who joined the underground and would frequently disguise himself as a high-ranking Nazi in the Hungarian Arrow Cross in order to save the lives of many of his brethren.
Also chronicled are the efforts of a Vienna-born artist and early art therapy advocate who encouraged children in her Theresienstadt camp to secretly draw and paint as a way to escape the everyday horrors of the camp; a pair of Polish sisters in Auschwitz who systematically snuck bits of gunpowder out of a munitions factory until there was enough to blow up a crematorium; and a young French boy who survived the camps by performing songs for fellow Jews and Nazis alike and would later change his name to Robert Clary, of "Hogan's Heroes" fame.
Connecting the self-contained portraits is the stirring narration provided by Ben Kingsley, tastefully underscored by Lee Holdridge's symphonic compositions and the use of period songs.
Screened at the Hollywood International Film Festival
The latest production from the Oscar-winning Moriah Films division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, "Unlikely Heroes" goes beyond the well-documented Warsaw Ghetto uprising to take a fascinating look at seven lesser-known individual paths to resistance.
By incorporating interviews -- in some cases with the surviving subjects -- along with recently unearthed archival footage and photographs as well as newly filmed sequences establishing the international locations where the events took place, director Richard Trank has crafted a moving documentary that should go on to receive considerable attention following its Hollywood film festival premiere.
Included among those profiles in courage is the remarkable story of a rabbi's son who joined the underground and would frequently disguise himself as a high-ranking Nazi in the Hungarian Arrow Cross in order to save the lives of many of his brethren.
Also chronicled are the efforts of a Vienna-born artist and early art therapy advocate who encouraged children in her Theresienstadt camp to secretly draw and paint as a way to escape the everyday horrors of the camp; a pair of Polish sisters in Auschwitz who systematically snuck bits of gunpowder out of a munitions factory until there was enough to blow up a crematorium; and a young French boy who survived the camps by performing songs for fellow Jews and Nazis alike and would later change his name to Robert Clary, of "Hogan's Heroes" fame.
Connecting the self-contained portraits is the stirring narration provided by Ben Kingsley, tastefully underscored by Lee Holdridge's symphonic compositions and the use of period songs.
The latest production from the Oscar-winning Moriah Films division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, "Unlikely Heroes" goes beyond the well-documented Warsaw Ghetto uprising to take a fascinating look at seven lesser-known individual paths to resistance.
By incorporating interviews -- in some cases with the surviving subjects -- along with recently unearthed archival footage and photographs as well as newly filmed sequences establishing the international locations where the events took place, director Richard Trank has crafted a moving documentary that should go on to receive considerable attention following its Hollywood film festival premiere.
Included among those profiles in courage is the remarkable story of a rabbi's son who joined the underground and would frequently disguise himself as a high-ranking Nazi in the Hungarian Arrow Cross in order to save the lives of many of his brethren.
Also chronicled are the efforts of a Vienna-born artist and early art therapy advocate who encouraged children in her Theresienstadt camp to secretly draw and paint as a way to escape the everyday horrors of the camp; a pair of Polish sisters in Auschwitz who systematically snuck bits of gunpowder out of a munitions factory until there was enough to blow up a crematorium; and a young French boy who survived the camps by performing songs for fellow Jews and Nazis alike and would later change his name to Robert Clary, of "Hogan's Heroes" fame.
Connecting the self-contained portraits is the stirring narration provided by Ben Kingsley, tastefully underscored by Lee Holdridge's symphonic compositions and the use of period songs.
- 10/22/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The life and times of Simon Wiesenthal, the Holocaust survivor and determined seeker of justice, are compellingly presented in Johanna Heer and Werner Schmiedel's feature documentary, showing in morning screenings this weekend at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.
"The Art of Remembrance: Simon Wiesenthal" is successful overall in following the career of this much-revered subject and in arguing for public education about the Holocaust as a necessity in the ominous climate of rising neo-Nazism and intolerance in Europe and elsewhere.
Filmed in the early 1990s at several locations including America and his native Austria, Wiesenthal tells many stories of horrible experiences in concentration camps and the "mosaic" hunts for Nazi war criminals in the decades following the war.
The film is briskly paced and covers a lot of ground. There are several narrators, plenty of archival footage and numerous interviews, including one with Richard Seibel, the American colonel who led the liberation of Mauthausen, a death camp where Wiesenthal barely managed to survive while his mother did not.
A "collector of information," Wiesenthal worked with the United States and countless collaborators in tracking down such criminals as Adolf Eichmann and Karl Silberbauer, the Nazi who arrested diarist Anne Frank and her family.
Wiesenthal is a prolific author and passionately explains his love of books ("sometimes more than people"), which he calls the Jewish people's "monuments." The film effectively includes a brief tour of Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance and many events and awards ceremonies, such as the Vienna premiere of Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List".
But even such a respected figure is nonplussed by the reluctance of Austria's government to convict Nazi criminals in the past two decades, while the basic problem of racism persists in many forms all over the world.
Those who ignore the murderers of the past pave the way for the murderers of the future. In Heer and Schmiedel's fine film, Wiesenthal takes on politicians and other targets but is clearly not seeking revenge. Still, his motivation has been "you can only forgive someone for what has happened to yourself, not to others."
THE ART OF REMEMBRANCE:
SIMON WIESENTHAL
River Lights Pictures
Producers-directors-writers Johanna Heer, Werner Schmiedel
Cinematographer Johanna Heer
Music John Zorn
Narrators Dagmar Schwarz, Georg Schuchter,
Florentin Groll
With Simon Wiesenthal, Richard R. Seibel,
Raul Hilberg, Sylvie Corrin-Zyss
Color/black and white
Running time -- 99 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"The Art of Remembrance: Simon Wiesenthal" is successful overall in following the career of this much-revered subject and in arguing for public education about the Holocaust as a necessity in the ominous climate of rising neo-Nazism and intolerance in Europe and elsewhere.
Filmed in the early 1990s at several locations including America and his native Austria, Wiesenthal tells many stories of horrible experiences in concentration camps and the "mosaic" hunts for Nazi war criminals in the decades following the war.
The film is briskly paced and covers a lot of ground. There are several narrators, plenty of archival footage and numerous interviews, including one with Richard Seibel, the American colonel who led the liberation of Mauthausen, a death camp where Wiesenthal barely managed to survive while his mother did not.
A "collector of information," Wiesenthal worked with the United States and countless collaborators in tracking down such criminals as Adolf Eichmann and Karl Silberbauer, the Nazi who arrested diarist Anne Frank and her family.
Wiesenthal is a prolific author and passionately explains his love of books ("sometimes more than people"), which he calls the Jewish people's "monuments." The film effectively includes a brief tour of Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance and many events and awards ceremonies, such as the Vienna premiere of Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List".
But even such a respected figure is nonplussed by the reluctance of Austria's government to convict Nazi criminals in the past two decades, while the basic problem of racism persists in many forms all over the world.
Those who ignore the murderers of the past pave the way for the murderers of the future. In Heer and Schmiedel's fine film, Wiesenthal takes on politicians and other targets but is clearly not seeking revenge. Still, his motivation has been "you can only forgive someone for what has happened to yourself, not to others."
THE ART OF REMEMBRANCE:
SIMON WIESENTHAL
River Lights Pictures
Producers-directors-writers Johanna Heer, Werner Schmiedel
Cinematographer Johanna Heer
Music John Zorn
Narrators Dagmar Schwarz, Georg Schuchter,
Florentin Groll
With Simon Wiesenthal, Richard R. Seibel,
Raul Hilberg, Sylvie Corrin-Zyss
Color/black and white
Running time -- 99 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/24/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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