Acting
Americans consider themselves a 'nation of immigrants', but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolds in Europe, the U.S. prove unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate refuge seekers. Through riveting firsthand testimony of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape Hitler, this three-part documentary series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public indifference, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive quota laws in America. Did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? This is a history to be reckoned with.
Director David de Jongh represents the life Otto Frank in his documentary Otto Frank, the father of Anne. The film deals with various facets of Otto Frank’s life: his youth in Germany, including his military service during the First World War, his marriage to Edith Holländer and the birth of their daughters Margot and Anne, their flight to the Netherlands, the time in hiding and the deportation to Auschwitz, his life after the Second World War and his dedication to the diary and the ideals of his daughter Anne, and his second marriage to Fritzi Geiringer. The documentary features many photos and film images, as well as interviews, including new ones, with people who knew Otto Frank. His stepdaughter Eva Schloss is one of the interviewees. The film is produced by Pieter van Huystee Film.
On a train to Auschwitz, 17-year-old Heinz Geiringer told his sister Eva that he hid the paintings and poetry he created during his time in hiding beneath the attic floorboards. Heinz made Eva promise if he should die in the camps, she would retrieve the artwork. Today, his story sits in the shadow of the better-known DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. After the war, Eva became the posthumous stepsister of Anne when her mother married Anne's father. While the world knows Anne's story, this film introduces Heinz, his artistry, and his sister's efforts to find and share his remarkable legacy.--montclairfilm
