Claude Lanzmann spent twelve years working on his monumental film about the Holocaust. The film tells the story of the extermination of six million European Jews during World War II and brought the Hebrew term “Shoah” into common usage. Lanzmann did not use any archival footage, choosing instead to visit the sites where the crimes took place to interview survivors, witnesses, and perpetrators from 14 countries in order to reconstruct the events.

The film grew out of Lanzmann’s fear that the genocide, which had taken place only 40 years previously, might already have faded from memory and that the atrocities might be dismissed as mere history. A milestone in film history — epic and intimate, visceral and irrefutable at the same time — the film uncovered hidden truths, redefined the art of documentary filmmaking, and continues to this day to strike viewers with its radicalism.

At Café Wunderbar, just a short walk from the cinema, a dedicated festival space invites visitors to stay and relax. Our awareness team will be available there should you wish to talk or need support.

Café Wunderbar, Antoniterstraße 16, 65929