FILMS

Hans Krasa’s children’s opera, Brundibar, was performed more than 50 times in 1943 and ’44 by Jewish children in the Theresienstadt ghetto. Performances simultaneously served as a propaganda tool for the Nazis and as a source of strength by the imprisoned performers. In this film, a Berlin-based youth theatre group stages the opera. The members of the group are ethnically diverse young people who have faced significant life challenges. When they first hear about this project, they question why they are being asked to take a look at the Holocaust again. However, once immersed in rehearsals, they travel to Theresienstadt, meet a very special Holocaust survivor, and start questioning their complacent attitude towards German history.

Theme: Holocaust

Themes:  Propaganda, strength and resilience, art as an escape and as a teaching tool, relationships across generations