An extensive two-part look at Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003), German filmmaker known mainly for her infamous propaganda efforts for the Nazi Party and the 3rd Reich and for her contributions to the aesthetics of film and photography which usually regarded as vast.
Drama. The story of Salamo Arouch, a Greek-Jewish boxer imprisoned in Auschwitz during World War II. Arrested while attempting to help his family and friends escape the Nazi juggernaut, Arouch was slated for extermination. He managed to survive by boxing for his life. He did it at the orders of his SS captors, who gambled on the outcome of Arouch's bouts. With each victory, Arouch go extra bread rations.
The Alpine Club of Villach has introduced the so-called "Aryan paragraph" in 1920, shortly after banning all Jews access to the refuge on Dobrac. This dark chapter of mountaineering Carinthia, carefully examined by the historian Werner Koroschitz, has provided inspiration for artistic action on the "home mountain" of Villach.
Participants: Wolfram Kastner (DE): Installation "Weg der Namen", Ernst Logar: Ausstellung "Judenhütte", Paul Gulda: Musik unter freiem Himmel
On the eve of WWII, in the small Slovak town of Báncove, young Martin Friedmann-Petrasek has two main concerns: his Bar Mitzvah, and being scouted for a nationally-ranked football team. But larger fears loom for the Friedmann family and its nine children as the newly-formed Slovak state makes an alliance with Hitler. Martin's father senses the dangers ahead and struggles to keep the family together and safe, but one sibling after another is transported to Poland. Oblivious to these threats, Martin volunteers to go to to a work camp in Sered, where his friend has secured him a place on a football team. From here...
In 1954, Richard (Peter Lohmeyer) returns to his German hometown after seven years as a prisoner of war. The years have taken their toll, and he fails to relate to his family -- particularly his soccer-loving son, Matthias (Louis Klamroth). Meanwhile, a journalist (Lukas Gregorowicz) and his wife head to Bern, Switzerland, to write about the World Cup. The stories of these strangers converge when they arrive in Bern, where they witness an uplifting German performance in a game against Hungary.
A feature film. The story of Margret Lambert (born as Gretel Bergmann), who was heading for an Olympic gold medal before she was bounced out of the squad. The Nazis wanted to ensure that Hitler would not be embarrassed by a Jewish athlete winning a gold medal for Germany. Her room-mate and eventual replacement, the film reveals, was Dora Ratjen (was a male named Horst Ratjen). “Dora”, despite his male hormones, managed to gain only fourth place. Two years later, still posing as a woman, he set a new world high jump record for women of 1.70m but was disqualified after a doctor discovered that he had strapped up...
Summary:
A documentary. The film presents the stories of seven Holocaust survivors and their various contributions to the state of Israel in various areas of life. Among the participants in the film are: Prof. Andre Hajdu - Israel Prize laureate in music. Moshe Zanbar – former Governor of the Bank of Israel. Yitzhak Arad - a retired Chief of Education Officer in the Israeli army and one of the founders of Yad Vashem. In the film, there is footage of visits to the Museum at Latroun, and to Yad Vashem.
Based on Philippe Grimbert's fact-inspired novel, Un secret tells of a French-Jewish family torn apart during the Nazi occupation. Francois is Parisian who's informed his elderly father has gone missing. This triggers flashbacks to 1955, when he was a shy boy, intimidated by his parents: Tania, a swimmer, and Maxim, a gymnast. The boy's best friend is Louise, who runs a business close to the family's clothing shop. Francois also has an imaginary brother who's fearless and athletic. Discovering an old toy in the attic, Francois pulls a long-hidden truth out of Louise: He once had a half-brother. Prewar scenes...
Crafted in a cinematic manner, this television documentary explores the Munich massacre of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, when 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were killed by palastinians terorists of Black September organization. Director Macdonald, a British filmmaker, uses a compilation of archival footage, music and interviews with many of the central characters – including Jamal al Gashey, the only surviving terrorist, who does not reveal his face to the cameras, Ankie Spitzer, widow of Andre Spitzer, the Israeli fencing coach who died at the hands of his captors, and Gad Zabari, an...