The 2022 Sunday Afternoon Film Series is generously sponsored by Sandra and Mendel Rosenberg.
- All film discussions are free of charge and begin at 1 pm, unless otherwise noted.
- All film discussions currently take place virtually via Zoom. Please watch the film on your own before joining the discussion (most films are available on streaming services such as Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc.).
- Films are in English, unless otherwise noted.
- For more information, call 314-442-3711 or email ALutz@StlHolocaustMuseum.org.
Upcoming Programs:
2022 Films
Walking with the Enemy
March 27, 2022
1-4 pm Central
In the 2014 film, Walking with the Enemy, a young man disguises himself as a Nazi officer in wartime Hungary to find and save his fellow Hungarian Jews in Budapest. This film is based on a true story. Holocaust rescuer, and former St. Louis resident, Carl Lutz, is a key supporting character.
Amy Lutz, the Museum’s Manager of Communications and Social Media, will lead the discussion. Amy is a historian and expert on Carl Lutz and the diplomatic rescue efforts that took place in Budapest, Hungary during the Holocaust. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Saint Louis University and a master’s degree in History from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She is currently working on a book manuscript based upon her graduate thesis, Amelia Earhart: Myth and Memory.
This will be a hybrid event. Participants can join the discussion in-person at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis building, or online via a Zoom webinar. Walking with the Enemy will be streamed live during the program and will be followed by a short presentation and discussion.
The Last Stage
January 30, 2022
1-4 pm Central
Zoom
Watch the Full Program
The Last Stage (1948) is a Polish film directed and co-written by Wanda Jakubowska. It depicts her experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. The Last Stage was partially shot on location at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Introductory remarks and post-screening discussion facilitated by Brad Prager, Professor of Film Studies and German at the University of Missouri. His research areas include Film History, Contemporary German Cinema, and Holocaust Studies. His publications include the book After the Fact: The Holocaust in Twenty-First Century Documentary Film (2015) as well as a book on the German director Werner Herzog, and an edited volume entitled Visualizing the Holocaust: Documents, Aesthetics, Memory (2008).
Previous Films
The Holocaust through the Lens of The Twilight Zone
December 12, 2021
1 pm Central
In-Person & Via Zoom
In this event, Amy Lutz, the Museum’s Manager of Communications and Social Media, will discuss two episodes of the classic television show, The Twilight Zone. The episodes, “Death’s Head Revisited” (Season 3, Episode 9, 1961) and “He’s Alive” (Season 4, Episode 4, 1963) are both available for free to Hulu subscribers and for a small cost on Amazon and iTunes.
In “Death’s Head Revisited,” a former German SS captain returns to Dachau concentration camp and begins reminiscing on the power he enjoyed there, until he finds himself on trial by those who died at his hands.
In “He’s Alive,” a tiny neo-Nazi organization struggles pathetically to succeed in a big city. A mysterious figure begins to ruthlessly guide a young, insecure U.S. Nazi leader, and the group begins to draw more attention.
Although it will not be the topic of discussion during the program, the episode “The Obsolete Man” will be briefly mentioned.
June 27, 2021
The Black Book (Vie et Destin du Livre Noir)
Directed by Guillaume Ribot, France, 2020.
92 minutes. In French with English Subtitles
The Black Book, drafted during World War II, gathers numerous unique historical testimonies, in an effort to document Nazi abuses against Jews in the USSR. Initially supported by the regime, the Black Book was eventually banned and most of its authors executed on Stalin’s order. Told through the voices of its most famous instigators, soviet intellectuals Vassilli Grossman, Ilya Ehrenburg and Solomon Mikhoels, this award-winning documentary provides a detailed account of the tragic destiny of this cursed book and puts the Holocaust and Stalinism in a new light.
This film discussion will mark the United States premiere for this film.
Discussion facilitated by Pier Marton, presently the “Unlearning Specialist” at the School of No Media. Besides Yad Vashem, he has lectured on his artwork at the Museum of Modern Art, the Carnegie Museum and the Walker Art Center. He has taught at several major U.S. universities. Marton’s father, photographer Ervin Marton, was in the French Résistance.
This film will be available prior to the film discussion for viewing on Vimeo, with a password available to film registrants.
January 31, 2021
Waldheims Waltzer (The Waldheim Waltz)
Directed by Ruth Beckermann
Austria, 2018, 94 minutes
German, French, and English with English subtitles
This award-winning documentary traces the uncovering of former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim’s wartime past, including new details about his service in the German Wehrmacht. It depicts the swift succession of allegations by the World Jewish Congress at the time of his Austrian presidential campaign, the denials by the Austrian political class, and the outbreak of antisemitism and nationalism that finally led to his election.
Introductory remarks and post-screening discussion facilitated by Brad Prager, Professor of Film Studies and German at the University of Missouri. His research areas include Film History, Contemporary German Cinema, and Holocaust Studies. His publications include the book After the Fact: The Holocaust in Twenty-First Century Documentary Film (2015) as well as a book on the German director Werner Herzog, and an edited volume entitled Visualizing the Holocaust: Documents, Aesthetics, Memory (2008).
April 25, 2021
Enemies: A Love Story
Ron Silver, Lena Olin and Anjelica Huston star in this complex story of love and relationships in the years after the Holocaust. Enemies: A Love Story, based on a novel by Isaac Bathshevis Singer and directed by Paul Mazursky, is in English and has a running time of 119 minutes. It can be rented or viewed on Vudu, Redbox, Tubi, Amazon Prime, and Google Play.
Robert A. Cohn, film reviewer and Editor–in-Chief Emeritus for the St. Louis Jewish Light lead a virtual discussion and Q&A. Bob has served as co-Chair for the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, and he teaches film courses for OASIS and the Center for Jewish Learning. He is a member of the St. Louis Film Festival Committee, the St. Louis Jewish Film Society, and the St. Louis Cinema Club.