Free Admission: Film Museum Sheds Light on the Fates of Concentration Camp Survivors

In cooperation with the Mauthausen Memorial, the Film Museum commemorates the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps 80 years ago. The film series titled "Liberation! New Beginning?" focuses primarily on the fates of concentration camp survivors and highlights how traumatic experiences are processed and how difficult the transition back to a "normal" life can be. Admission to the five films is free.

"Liberation! New Beginning?": Film Series Focuses on Concentration Camp Aftermath

"L'heure de la vérité" ("The Hour of Truth") by Henri Calef from 1965 marks the beginning of the series on Sunday, February 16, at 3 PM. The film revolves around a former SS man and camp commander (played by Karlheinz Böhm) who has assumed the identity of one of his Jewish victims and built a new life in Israel as a civil engineer with a Jewish wife after World War II. When a sociologist interviews him as part of his Holocaust research, the facade begins to crumble. "At once bold drama and philosophical study," writes Christoph Huber, who will also give an introduction to the film on Sunday, in a preview.

Continuation Until June

The other films - all with introductions - can be seen on March 16 ("Daleká cesta" by Alfréd Radok from 1949), April 13 ("The Glass Wall" by Maxwell Shane from 1953), and May 18 ("Lebende Ware" by Wolfgang Luderer from 1966). The final planned screening from the film series is not yet definitively fixed: "La tregua" by Francesco Rosi from 1996 is scheduled to be shown on June 15.

What is certain, however, is that on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), the Film Museum will once again show the documentary essay film "Occupied City" by British filmmaker Steve McQueen (Sunday, February 23, 6 PM). In it, McQueen deals with the then Nazi occupation of his adopted home Amsterdam. Based on the book "Atlas of an Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940-1945" by Bianca Stigter, the director visited over 2,000 locations in Amsterdam to contrast current images with historical facts, quotes, and comments.

(APA/Red)

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