Co-produced by USC Shoah Foundation and directed by Barry Levinson, The Survivor tells the story of Holocaust survivor and professional boxer Harry Haft (played by Ben Foster) as he struggles with the burden of having to survive by fighting fellow prisoners to the death in Auschwitz.
Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses, produced as part of USC Shoah Foundation's Stronger Than Hate initiative, is a one-hour documentary that explores the journeys of Liberators and Liberation Witnesses drawing parallels between the past and present. These one-of-a-kind stories of World War II heroes serve as a compelling reminder of what is at stake as antisemitism and xenophobia are on the rise again, and as a call to action to stand against hatred in all its forms.
Produced by USC Shoah Foundation, the award-winning Two Sides of Survival brings together stories from the East and West, chronicling how Jews who fled the Nazis in Europe, and Chinese who were threatened by Japanese occupation, improbably found refuge close to one another in the 1930’s and during World War II.
Now remastered and available on Netflix, the Academy Award®-winning film shares the remarkable stories of five survivors as they return from the United States to their hometowns and to the ghettos and concentration camps that once imprisoned them.
An award-winning feature film based on a true story of survival, produced in association with USC Shoah Foundation, My Name Is Sara shares the story of Sara Góralnik who at age 13 survived the Holocaust by passing as a Christian after her family was killed by Nazis.
The film, based on Marvell Ginsburg’s beloved children’s book of the same name, recounts the true story of the rescue and restoration of a small Torah from Brno, Czechoslovakia. Narrated by famed actor Ed Asner, the film teaches historical information about the Holocaust in a manner appropriate for a young audience by embedding it in a story about family, community, and the legacy of a precious possession.
Other projects inspired by testimonies from the Visual History Archive
In addition to collecting and preserving video testimonies, USC Shoah Foundation produces documentaries about the Holocaust and genocide. The Institute’s documentary films have aired in 50 countries and are subtitled in 28 languages. The films are not available for purchase directly from the Institute.
Among the documentary films to its credit is the Academy Award®-winning “The Last Days,” which centers on five Hungarians who survived the deadliest wave of mass murder during the final phase of the Holocaust.
One Day in Auschwitz
In this documentary which aired around the world via Discovery Communications and subsequently on Comcast and Showtime, Holocaust survivor Kitty Hart-Moxon revisits Auschwitz 70 years after her liberation. Now 89, she shares her eyewitness experience and daily struggle for survival with two students the same age as she was during her internment.
Auschwitz
Produced by Steven Spielberg and narrated by Meryl Streep, “Auschwitz” is a 15-minute documentary history of the infamous Nazi death camp. The film reached half a billion people during the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the camp.
Ruth: A Little Girl’s Big Journey
USC Shoah Foundation and Delirio Films have completed an animated short film that brings to life the remarkable childhood journey of Holocaust survivor Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer escaping Nazi Germany, as she faced the choices that made her who she is today. Learn more about the project.
The Girl and The Picture
In 1937, at age eight, Xia Shuqin and her younger sister witnessed the murder of their family in the horror that would become known to the world as the Nanjing Massacre. In the days that followed, an American missionary, John Magee, who was documenting the atrocities, filmed the little girls standing in front of the broken remains of their family home, creating evidence of the carnage and binding his family and theirs forever.
The Girl and The Picture brings together two direct descendants of this history as Madam Xia, at 88, shares her memory with her granddaughter, her seven-year-old great grandson and with Chris Magee, the grandson of the missionary who captured her image eight decades earlier. The Girl and The Picture brings to light the power of memory to bridge generations and create a shared legacy of family, loss and survival. Learn more about the film.
Spell Your Name
Directed by Sergey Bukovsky and executive-produced by Victor Pinchuk and Steven Spielberg, “Spell Your Name” follows three Ukrainian journalism students whose experiences viewing testimony from the Institute’s archive bring to light stories of survival and rescue that took place in Ukraine during the Holocaust. In addition to using Ukrainian- and Russian-language testimony from the Institute’s Visual History Archive, the film incorporates personal and archival photographs, as well as new footage shot on location in Ukraine. Available on Amazon Prime.
Volevo Solo Vivere (I Only Wanted to Live)
I Only Wanted to Live, by Italian film director Mimmo Calopresti, chronicles the Holocaust as experienced in Italy, from the racial laws Mussolini enacted in 1938 through the German invasion in 1943 and the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. The experiences are made personal through the use of testimony from the Institute's archive. Nine Italian citizens, all survivors of Auschwitz, share their stories; their testimonies are woven among personal and historical photographs and additional archival footage to create a 75-minute narrative.
Broken Silence
Produced by James Moll, Broken Silence consists of five foreign-language films featuring testimonies from Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia and directed by distinguished filmmakers from each of these countries. The documentaries are unique in scope and construction: incorporating archival and modern-day footage, still photographs, original music, and drawing from the Institute’s testimonies. The film series, subtitled into 11 languages (including English), has aired on television in 18 countries worldwide.
The Lost Children of Berlin
Fifty-four years after the Gestapo shut down the last Jewish school in war-torn Berlin, former students traveled from around the world to reunite at the newly re-opened school, many unaware which classmates had survived. Directed by Elizabeth McIntyre and produced by Adrian Milne, The Lost Children of Berlin is a film that chronicles the lives of these students who attended the Grosse Hamburgerstrasse School. The film's executive producers were James Moll and June Beallor. Watch on YouTube.
Survivors of the Holocaust
In this film, more than 20 Holocaust survivors share their memories of pre-war life, the rise of the Third Reich, and their own struggles to begin life anew after the war. Weaving their stories together with archival footage, the Institute's first documentary film conveys the devastating impact of Nazism on European Jewry. Allan Holzman directed the film. James Moll and June Beallor were the producers.
Voices from the List
Based exclusively on testimonies of Schindler Juden from the Institute’s Visual History Archive, “Voices from the List” continues beyond the narrative of the Academy Award®-winning film Schindler's List by incorporating rare, archival footage and an original score to add a new dimension to the story of Oskar Schindler. Michael Mayhew directed the film, and James Moll was the producer. June Beallor was executive producer. Watch on YouTube.