Violins of Hope Film Screening

Introduction

The Record

2D hand drawn animation (9 minutes)
Director/Artist: Jonathan Laskar

The Record is a hand drawn, frame by frame animation about an antique dealer who remembers a repressed trauma when he comes across a magical vinyl record that can read his mind and play the music in his memories. The work questions the relationship between memory, forgotten traumas, cultural identity and the role music can play to reconcile these.

"The Record materializes the transportation of imagination and memory through music in a black and white palette with a thousand nuances.” (Mathilde Blottière, TTT Télérama, 2023)

About the artist: Jonathan Laskar studied visual arts at the University of Aix-en-Provence, France; classical double bass at the Conservatory of Aix-en-Provence; and architecture at the Bauhaus-University of Weimar in Germany. He later received a Masters degree in animation from the Lucerne University of Art and Design in Switzerland. He currently works and resides in Geneva.

Q&A with Jonathan Laskar will follow film.

The Commandant's Shadow

Documentary (100 minutes)
Producer/Director: Daniela Völker

The Commandant's Shadow follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, as he faces his father's terrible legacy for the first time. His father was the Camp Commandant of Auschwitz and masterminded the murder of over a million Jews … While Hans Jurgen Höss enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz, Jewish prisoner Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was trying to survive the notorious concentration camp. At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment — eight decades later — when the two come face-to-face … In the wake of the atrocities of October 7th — and at a time when antisemitism has reached a level not seen since the Holocaust — The Commandant's Shadow is a stark reminder that there can be no reconciliation without a true and honest reckoning of the past. Only then can we hope to avoid repeating history and build a better future.

About the artist: London based documentary film director Daniela Völker has made films for Netflix, CNN, PBS, BBC and National Geographic, among others, for over 20 years, working on projects in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. She specializes in access-driven, character-led narratives and [has] made several long-term documentaries, one-offs and series, which follow stories as they unfold.​

Q&A with Daniela Volker will follow film.

Strings

Digital Animation (3 minutes)
Director/Artist: Erin Morris

Strings is a 2D animated film inspired by the work of Amnon Weinstein, founder of the Violins of Hope. Comprised entirely of vibrating and continuously evolving lines, the animation depicts both haunting images of Holocaust events and moments of survival and transcendence. As a violinist herself, the artist used line to also suggest the strings of the instrument "…transitioning through the film and flowing with the music."

About the artist: Erin Morris is a startup co-founder currently working in product management. At the time that she created Strings she was an animation student pursuing a BA degree in Animation and Visual Effects at Falmouth University in England.​

The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Documentary (40 minutes)

The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life tells the story of Alice Herz-Sommer, a German-speaking Jewish pianist from Prague who was at her death the world's oldest Holocaust survivor. In the documentary, she discusses the importance of music, laughter, and how to have an optimistic outlook on life.

About the artist: Malcolm Clarke has been making films since the 1980s, first in his native England and later in the US and China. He has worked as a script-doctor for the Hollywood studios and streaming services. Clarke's work has won awards from the Directors Guild of America, WGA, Emmy Awards, The Overseas Press Club of America, and the BAFTA John Grierson Prize.

Closing Discussion