A Film Unfinished

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A Film Unfinished

At the end of WWII, 60 minutes of raw film, having sat undisturbed in an East German archive, was discovered. Shot by the Nazis in Warsaw in May 1942, and labeled simply “Ghetto,” this footage quickly became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record of the Warsaw Ghetto. However, the later discovery of a long-missing reel, inclusive of multiple takes and cameraman staging scenes, complicated earlier readings of the footage.

A Film Unfinished presents the raw footage in its entirety, carefully noting fictionalized sequences (including a staged dinner party) falsely showing “the good life” enjoyed by Jewish urbanites, and probes deep into the making of a now-infamous Nazi propaganda film.

Festivals and Awards:

Winner of the World Documentary Editing Award - Sundance Film Festival, USA, 2010; Best International Feature Film at the Hot Docs Film Festival, Canada, 2010; Van Leer Documentary Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel, 2010; Winner of the WGA Documentary Screenplay Award at the Silverdocs Film Festival, 2010; Berlin Film Festival, 2010; Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2010; Melbourne International Film Festival, 2010

Director: Yael Hersonski

Producer: Noemi Schory, Itay Ken-Tor

Production Company: Belfilms

Cinematographer: Itay Neeman

Editor: Joelle Alexis

Original Soundtrack: Yishay Hadar

Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television, ARTE, Yad Vashem Film Project, Yes Docu, MDR/SWR

Script: Yael Hersonski

Distributor: Oscilloscope

Subtitles: English, Hebrew

Film Name in Hebrew: שתיקת הארכיון

At the end of WWII, 60 minutes of raw film, having sat undisturbed in an East German archive, was discovered. Shot by the Nazis in Warsaw in May 1942, and labeled simply “Ghetto,” this footage quickly became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record of the Warsaw Ghetto. However, the later discovery of a long-missing reel, inclusive of multiple takes and cameraman staging scenes, complicated earlier readings of the footage.

A Film Unfinished presents the raw footage in its entirety, carefully noting fictionalized sequences (including a staged dinner party) falsely showing “the good life” enjoyed by Jewish urbanites, and probes deep into the making of a now-infamous Nazi propaganda film.

Festivals and Awards:

Winner of the World Documentary Editing Award - Sundance Film Festival, USA, 2010; Best International Feature Film at the Hot Docs Film Festival, Canada, 2010; Van Leer Documentary Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel, 2010; Winner of the WGA Documentary Screenplay Award at the Silverdocs Film Festival, 2010; Berlin Film Festival, 2010; Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2010; Melbourne International Film Festival, 2010

Director: Yael Hersonski

Producer: Noemi Schory, Itay Ken-Tor

Production Company: Belfilms

Cinematographer: Itay Neeman

Editor: Joelle Alexis

Original Soundtrack: Yishay Hadar

Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television, ARTE, Yad Vashem Film Project, Yes Docu, MDR/SWR

Script: Yael Hersonski

Distributor: Oscilloscope

Subtitles: English, Hebrew

Film Name in Hebrew: שתיקת הארכיון

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