“Do not hate the Germans, hate the Nazis. It was a German that saved my life. You see, near the end of the war, everyone knew that the Germans would lose. We knew the Russians were coming from the East and the Americans from the West. The only thing left for the Nazis to do was kill the remaining Jews. So every day they would line us up and play games. Every 10th ‘dog’ dies today- other days every 5th ‘dog’ dies. They could not kill us fast enough and for some reason they would not shoot us all. Everyday I was neither the 10th nor the 5th. Every day I survived. Then one day I was the 10th dog and they took me to a room. They made me take my clothes off—I knew I was dead. Then I heard a guard who I knew call me. A German guard. He motioned me to jump into a cart filled with the clothing of other prisoners—all dead. I was saved.” —Irving Kamrat
Between the years of 1933 and 1945 the Nazi war machine committed unspeakable acts of horror that forever changed the story of the Jewish people—and almost 70 years later, it is nearly impossible to truly understand the atrocities that occurred during this time. It is only through telling and re-telling of individual narratives and personal histories that one can begin to understand the true impact and legacy of the Holocaust.
Through animation and first-hand testimony, UNSPEAKABLE offers these remarkable stories of survival. Our narrative journey begins before the war with life in shtetls, moves through the nazification of Europe and the horrors of concentration camps, finally coming to liberation and reintegration – and the impact of the war on those who survived and their families.
UNSPEAKABLE interweaves multiple stories, illustrating the wide breadth of experiences endured by survivors, outsiders in a time and place when nothing was more dangerous than being thought of as different. Jews—along with homosexuals, gypsies, intellectuals, and many others—all suffered under the Nazi regime, and it is these stories that will be explored. Scores of wrenching images have been burned into our collective memory through a myriad of Holocaust films and documentaries – bodies piled upon bodies, the face of a crying child as it is wrenched from its mother’s arms, the emaciated man huddled in the corner overshadowed by towering SS officers. This footage plays a vital role in preserving history. But we are at an important moment in time where the last survivors of the Holocaust are slipping away and the window of opportunity to preserve their still-living memory is almost closed. Animation, which lacks the narrative and physical boundaries of traditional film, offers an opportunity to witness these experiences through a new lens and help continue the essential dialogue that these events really happened and can happen again if society lets these lessons fade from view.
This film is personal for many involved in its making—we are the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of family members who survived and perished during the Holocaust. Visually inspired by paintings of the director's 98-year-old grandfather, a survivor who used a paintbrush to tell the story he found so difficult to describe in words, UNSPEAKABLE offers a powerful and unique portrait of atrocities which must never again be allowed to occur.
Through a groundswell of community awareness, our goal is to have people of all ethnicities, religions, and classes come together in support of this this project and in turn take a stand agains genocide. This project will help educate, inspire, and preserve the legacy of the individuals and families affected by the Holocaust for generations to come. Only through the generosity of others will we be able to make this vision a reality and give a voice to victims both past and present.
Initially, we will create an 8-10 minute short film, focusing on one of the 52,000 stories from the Shoah archives. This animated short will be used as an educational tool at synagogues, churches and schools worldwide. In addition, the funds will serve as seed funding for the feature-length animated film, allowing us to begin initial story development and research.
Between the years of 1933 and 1945 the Nazi war machine committed unspeakable acts of horror that forever changed the story of the Jewish people—and almost 70 years later, it is nearly impossible to truly understand the atrocities that occurred during this time. It is only through telling and re-telling of individual narratives and personal histories that one can begin to understand the true impact and legacy of the Holocaust.
Through animation and first-hand testimony, UNSPEAKABLE offers these remarkable stories of survival. Our narrative journey begins before the war with life in shtetls, moves through the nazification of Europe and the horrors of concentration camps, finally coming to liberation and reintegration – and the impact of the war on those who survived and their families.
UNSPEAKABLE interweaves multiple stories, illustrating the wide breadth of experiences endured by survivors, outsiders in a time and place when nothing was more dangerous than being thought of as different. Jews—along with homosexuals, gypsies, intellectuals, and many others—all suffered under the Nazi regime, and it is these stories that will be explored. Scores of wrenching images have been burned into our collective memory through a myriad of Holocaust films and documentaries – bodies piled upon bodies, the face of a crying child as it is wrenched from its mother’s arms, the emaciated man huddled in the corner overshadowed by towering SS officers. This footage plays a vital role in preserving history. But we are at an important moment in time where the last survivors of the Holocaust are slipping away and the window of opportunity to preserve their still-living memory is almost closed. Animation, which lacks the narrative and physical boundaries of traditional film, offers an opportunity to witness these experiences through a new lens and help continue the essential dialogue that these events really happened and can happen again if society lets these lessons fade from view.
This film is personal for many involved in its making—we are the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of family members who survived and perished during the Holocaust. Visually inspired by paintings of the director's 98-year-old grandfather, a survivor who used a paintbrush to tell the story he found so difficult to describe in words, UNSPEAKABLE offers a powerful and unique portrait of atrocities which must never again be allowed to occur.
Through a groundswell of community awareness, our goal is to have people of all ethnicities, religions, and classes come together in support of this this project and in turn take a stand agains genocide. This project will help educate, inspire, and preserve the legacy of the individuals and families affected by the Holocaust for generations to come. Only through the generosity of others will we be able to make this vision a reality and give a voice to victims both past and present.
Initially, we will create an 8-10 minute short film, focusing on one of the 52,000 stories from the Shoah archives. This animated short will be used as an educational tool at synagogues, churches and schools worldwide. In addition, the funds will serve as seed funding for the feature-length animated film, allowing us to begin initial story development and research.