C. Lily Ericsson

SHE IS US: THE STORY OF JUDGE SONGHAI ARMSTEAD is an animated film that chronicles the extraordinary story of social justice warrior Songhai Armstead who was system impacted, faced systemic obstacles, and found purpose in empowering others. After a challenging childhood in foster care, Songhai embarks on a remarkable journey that shows the importance of creating opportunities. The film is a production of The Righteous Conversations Project and Second Nurture, a non-profit organization that mobilizes communities to support foster families and help children thrive. She is Us was directed by Samara Hutman & C. Lily Ericsson and animated by an extraordinary team of young people who know the potential of art and story to shape our world.

Hand-drawn animation illustrates Holocaust Survivor Erika Jacoby’s memories of surviving Auschwitz. Produced by students aged 12-17 in a Righteous Conversations Project summer workshop at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles.

An animated film that chronicles the extraordinary saga of Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler – a child facing brutality and profound loss who finds sustenance in faith and her own dreams for the future. From the loss of her parents to a forced death march across Europe, young Eva survives Ravensbruck and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camps, the destruction of her family, and the near destruction of European Jewry to emerge, with a tender heart and faith intact, crediting the goodness and decency of helpers and caretakers she encountered along the way.

A child survivor of the Holocaust receives a packet of beads in a Displaced Persons camp after the war. Her mother tears off a piece of her skirt and the child embroiders a goose. Thus begins her life-long journey with thread and needle not knowing that someday this simple act will save her life again. Based on the life and art of Holocaust survivor Trudie Strobel.

The film was created by teens who worked with an artist mentor over Zoom, using their phones as cameras and cardboard boxes as animation stands. It is a production of The Righteous Conversations Project, a collaboration of Holocaust survivors and teens, based in Los Angeles and founded in 2011.

Muslim and Jewish teens come together to animate the story of two men, Abdol Hossein Sardari and Ibrahim Morady, a Muslim and a Jew in Paris during the Holocaust. Their friendship and advocacy saved Jewish lives and the generations who would follow them. Created by NewGround MAJIC Changemakers and The Righteous Conversations Project – teens, mentors and filmmakers who are inspired by this story to celebrate the life-saving power of relationship and partnership. To learn more about NewGround: mjnewground.org. To learn more about The Righteous Conversations Project - righteousconversations.org/