Inna Rogatchi will be Special Guest and Keynote Speaker at the USA National Premiere of her film The Lessons of Survival. Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal in Chicago on the 21st of June 2015. The film will conclude the Faces of Humanity Special Film Series, a joint projects of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Centre and Chicago Festival of the Israeli Cinema.
The Series took place from January 2015 onward, and it was opened by the Moms Mabley, the Original Queen of Comedy documentary presented by Whoppi Goldberg.
To mark the event of the US Premiere of her film, Inna Rogatchi will also give a Special Lecture “The Lessons of Survival: The Lessons of Courage and Humanity” after the screening.
By Pamela Clements (C), Sydney, Australia, May 2015
REVIEW
Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal
Created and Directed by Inna Rogatchi
I saw Inna Rogatchi’s film Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal at the Jewish International Film Festival in Sydney in March. It stays with me still – the beauty of this extraordinary film, the shock of the beauty.
Simon Wiesenthal set up his office in the former Nazi headquarters in Vienna. There! The fear evoked by that idea almost takes one’s breath away, the courage of the idea makes one want to cheer, to exult in Jewish survival. All that force, cruelty, calculation, war machinery, suffering, and now Simon Wiesenthal can base his search for justice against the perpetrators right at their core.
Inna positioned her camera over the stair in the former Nazi headquarters, looking down. Architectural, symmetrical, painterly and breathtakingly beautiful in colour, light and form, this frame creates a beautiful and terrifying vortex, down which one felt one’s self inexorably drawn and hurtled into oblivion.
Simon Wiesenthal’s face, as he was interviewed by Inna, and the brief shot of young Inna deeply listening to Wiesenthal – these were beautiful, painterly, profound moments in the film. The film’s photography, composition, lighting, colour, pacing is beautiful, even in the camps. I felt almost “blasted” as I experienced the beauty of this film.
And so at the Q & A after the film, I asked Inna: “Can you speak to us about the beauty of your film?” How could a film about such horrors be inspired, created and manifested in beauty? Inna’s answer: “That is the point.”
Don’t miss this film. Allow yourself to experience the film’s beauty as well as its historical significance, and to feel the presence of Simon Wiesenthal and honour his remarkable courage and achievement. Open yourself to “The Point”.
Rating: 5/5 (or whatever the top rating is).Pamela Clement is internationally recognised architectural acoustic consultant, specialising in musicology
New review on the Inna Rogatchi’s The Lessons of Survival Film has been written by Pamela Clements, internationally acclaimed musicologist and acoustic consultant.
The film by Inna Rogatchi, The Lessons of Survival. Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal, has been acquired by the University of Pennsylvania, a prolific U.S. educational establishment founded by Benjamin Franklin.
The university, which is a top member of the U.S. Ivy League, is known for its outstanding record in research and applied studies. The University’s Library is also one of the best in the American University World.
A major publication of the leading American Christian Zionist organisation, The JerUSAlem Connection International, has published a story on Inna Rogatchi’s film The Lessons of Survival
On the Israel Independence Day, the French Opening Premiere of Inna Rogatchi’s film on Simon Wiesenthal The Lessons of Survival had been successfully launched at the leading French and international historical institutions, the famed Memorial de la Shoah.
A Special Screening of The Lessons of Survival, a film by Inna Rogatchi on Simon Wiesenthal, took place in Helsinki, Finland as a part of the Yom HaShoah, Day of Remembrance and Heroism, commemoration conducted by the Helsinki Jewish Community together with the Embassy of Israel in Finland.
A new review on Inna Rogatchi’s film The Lessons of Survival by the renowned film critic Peter Krausz has been published at the world’s largest leading film industry database, IMDb:The film is rated 9/10.
The full text of the review can be read in the REVIEWS section.
A number of years ago, filmmaker Dr. Inna Rogatchi had the opportunity to interview and film Simon Wiesenthal, reflecting on his experiences of bringing Nazis to justice after the Holocaust. His own survival after being housed in a Concentration Camp was in itself extremely fortunate, but this documentary reveals a number of previously unknown facts relating to Eichmann, the arrest of Anne Frank, the Raoul Wallenberg case, and other events. Inna has allowed the camera to focus on Simon during this 55 minute documentary, with her voice heard off screen as she asks some probing questions. To illustrate some of the issues raised, the film features cutaways of Mauthausen Concentration Camp (one rarely seen in documentaries, as Auschwitz is the one used most often by filmmakers), as well as Linz, Austria, Hitler’s home town. Inna has carefully interpolated these contemporary scenes with Wiesenthal’s conversations, in a smoothly orchestrated manner, with the use of appropriate music to further heighten the stark revelations. The film’s power lies in the conversations and the way they are organized to enhance their power. The camera focuses on Wiesenthal who unflinchingly reveals so much about the horrors of the Genocide perpetrated by the Nazis during World War 2. Indeed, the message is clearly evoked: one must never forget, and as he often states, it is important to bring to justice the individuals who carried out this mass slaughter. Inna’s film is a welcome and valued addition to the Shoah, and serves as an important record for generations to come. Highly Recommended.
Peter Krausz is film critic, film journalist, consultant to various film festivals, radio broadcaster and former Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association.
The Sydney Jewish Museum has acquired the Inna Rogatchi’s film for their notable collection.
In March 2015, during her visit to Australia to attend the Australian premiere of her The Lessons of Survival film, Inna Rogatchi has attended a special event at the world-renowned Sydney Jewish Museum which was a public screening and discussion of her film there.
Inna Rogatchi was a Special Guest and Speaker at the Holocaust Film Series of the Jewish International Jewish Festival in Australia presenting there her film The Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal . The film has had its Australian premiere in both Melbourne and Sydney.
Inna’s film has been one of 12 documentaries presented at the Holocaust Film Series, and is one among 30 films of all genres selected by the JIFF organisers among more than 300 films from all around the world.
At the very successful premieres, Inna has conducted Q&A sessions together with the Festival’s director Eddie Tamir and the internationally renowned historian professor Konrad Kwiet.
The Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal, a film by Inna Rogatchi, has been acquired by Harvard University.
Being one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world, Harvard has a high-end Center for Jewish Studies whose founding director was professor Isadore Twerski, a member of a renowned family of authorities on Judaism, and the father of Rabbi Moshe Twerski who was killed in the terrorist attack on the Nar Hof Synagogue in Israel in November 2014. Other faculties of Harvard also pursue advanced historical studies dealing with Jewish history and related subjects and disciplines.
The famous Library of Harvard University is the largest academic library in the United States, and is one of the largest and best ones in the world.
A Film by Inna Rogatchi Rogatchi Productions, 2013 Distributed by Ruth Diskin Films
Reviewed by Boris Segel – March 2, 2015
Since Inna Rogatchi’s documentary film, Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal finished production in 2013, it has been shown around the world and it has been listed into the Yad Vashen’s online film database. It is a memorable and inspirational work that highlights ones man fight for survival, and for justice against unspeakable evil.
This short, 57 minute documentary, is comprised primarily of excerpts of conversations that Rogatchi had with Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005). These conversations took place over a period of time and they detail Wiesenthal’s experiences during the Holocaust and the events that occurred after his liberation from the Mauthausen concentration camp. They also explore the events that led to Wiesenthal becoming one of the best-known Nazi hunters. In addition, these ‘conversations’ help to explain Wiesenthal’s philosophy on life and the ways in which he felt that the Holocaust was still impacting the world.
In addition to Wiesenthal oral testimony, this documentary also includes snippets of previously unreleased historical footage, and it is illustrated by art work produced by both Rogatchi and her husband, Michael. Rogatchi is a writer and philanthropist, and she was a personal friend of Wiesenthal.
This documentary serves as an excellent introduction to the life and work of Wiesenthal, and it is an important addition to the body of works that provide first person testimonies about the Holocaust. In these conversations, Wiesenthal explains why it was essential for Jews to take a leading role in hunting down Nazi war criminals, both in terms of Jewish self-esteem and in terms of capturing these criminals. Had it not been for Wiesenthal and his compatriots, many of these killers would have escaped justice. This is because after a few big show trials, the allies lost interest in tracking down former Nazis. Worse, in many cases, they where complicit in helping Nazis hide because they had skills that the allies wanted to exploit.
This documentary is well suited for watching by individuals of all ages and backgrounds. The entire documentary is in English. However, there are no subtitles for the hearing impaired. The film is ideal for use in classroom settings (both religious and public) at the high school and college level, and it will be of interest to anyone seeking to learn more about the history of the Holocaust – and the work that went into hunting down and bringing to justice Nazi war criminals.
Inna Rogatchi article about the scandal in Estonia has been widely published in Israeli, Baltic and Polish media. Inna has been also interviewed on the matter by the AISH.COM, the largest in the world Internet resource on the Jewish themes.
The new profile on Inna Rogatchi and her film on Simon Wiesenthal, The Artful Way of Telling About the Holocaust, has been published in a recent issue of Ha-Kehilamagazine, a quaterly of the Jewish Community in Finland.
The English translation of the article can be found in theProfiles section.
