General Information

Israel 2012, Documentary 55 min

Director: Uriel Sinai, Dana Doron

Producer: Hilla Medalia, Neta Zwebner-Zaibert

Supported by Yes Docu, Makor Foundation

Synopsis

The Jewish Week

"Numbered' reminds us how much people count...My favorite documentary from this summer's Jerusalem Film Festival"

 Jerusalem Post

"While the audience emerged with damp eyes, the overall message is somehow upbeat".

The New York Times

"A beautiful and moving film"

The Jewish Forward

Auschwitz prisoners, both Jewish or non-Jewish, were tattooed with serial numbers, first on their chests and then their left arms. An estimated 400,000 numbers were tattooed in Auschwitz and its sub-camps; only some several thousand survivors are still alive today. NUMBERED is an explosive, highly visual, and emotionally cinematic journey, guided by testimonies and portraits of these survivors. The film documents the dark time and setting during which these tattoos were assigned as well as the meaning they took on in the years following the war. In fact, the film’s protagonist is the number itself, as it evolves and becomes both a personal and collective symbol from 1940 to today. These scars, paradoxically unanimous and anonymous, reveal themselves to be diverse, enlightening, and full of life.

To the official website of the film

Awards & Festivals

Awards:

Best Debut Film Award at the Israeli Documentary Forum Awards 2012

The Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival 2012 (Jury's Decision)

Festivals:

Miami Jewish Film Festival, January 2013

Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, January 2013

Wahington Jewish Film Festival, January  2013

JCC Manahattan, January 2013

New York Jewish Film Festival, January 2013

Calgary Jewish Film Festival, November 2012

Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival, November 2012

Chicago International film festival, October  2012

Jerusalem International Film Festival, July  2012

Educational:

University of Massachusetts, April 2013

Museum of Jewish Heritage, April 2013

University of California, March 2013

UJA Federation Manhattan, February 2013

Credits

Directors: Uriel Sinai, Dana Doron

Producers: Hilla Medalia, Neta Zwebner-Zaibert

Cinematographer: Uriel Sinai

Editor: Tor Ben Mayor

Composer: Issar Shulman

Historical Advisor: Gideon Greif

Quotes

"Lasting scars of the Holocaust become totems of resilience and remembrance in "Numbered," a moving compilation of testimonies from Auschwitz survivors whose tattoos serve as perpetual reminders of their imprisonment in the world's most notorious death camp. As their subjects share their experiences and reflect on the strange mixture of shame and dignity each branded number confers, directors Dana Doron and Uriel Sinai craft a straightforward but inescapably emotional item that, at its roughly one-hour length, is ideally suited to broadcast play.  

Justin Chang, Variety, Chicago Tribune, July 11, 2012

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"Co-directed by Uriel Sinai, a prizewinning photojournalist, the 60-minute homage includes searing portraits of women and men displaying their numbers almost as badges of honor. One used his as the code for a family safe. Another always covered his with long sleeves. Three men with consecutive numbers were miraculously reunited. There are tender love stories within the larger epic of loss, and while the audience emerged with damp eyes, the overall message is somehow upbeat.  

Jodi Rudoren, The New York Times, July 21, 2012

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"“Numbered” by Israelis Dana Doron and Uriel Sinai tells the story of survivors who, for the last six decades, have been living daily lives with the grayish-blue numbers tattooed on them by Nazis in Auschwitz. What do those numbers on the forearms mean to the people bearing them, the filmmakers set out to find out. There is no one answer, of course. For some, they are marks of shame to be hidden. For others they are badges of honor."

 by Danna Harman, As time runs out, young filmmakers seek survivors, Haaretz, July 15, 2012

"My favorite documentary from this summer’s Jerusalem Film Festival is a movie entitled Numbered. The film is a collage of narratives and photographs of Auschwitz survivors who were tattooed during their incarceration".   

by Benjamin W. Corn, Holocaust film ‘Numbered’ reminds us how much people count, Jerusalem Post, August 8, 2012
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"Three years ago, an elderly patient came into an emergency room in northern Israel complaining about chest pain. When a young doctor, Dana Doron, examined her, the woman pulled up her sleeve, pointed to a tattooed number on her arm and asked, “Do you know what is it?” She then proceeded to talk for an hour. The next day, the woman’s daughter came in to apologize. “Each time that my mother wants to talk about her number, she goes to an emergency room and complains about chest pain,” she said.  

by Olga Gershenson, An Indelible Legacy, Exploring Numbers Tattooed on Holocaust Victims, The Jewish Forward, August 24, 2012

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"The most riveting of the new Israeli documentaries is Numbered, which had its U.S. premiere at the Chicago Film Festival this month. Directed by Dana Doron & Uriel Sinai, its point of departure is the tattoo of Auschwitz survivors, an indelible mark on the arm that is increasingly less recognizable to younger generations. Numbered does not allow for generalization, as each survivor views his or her mark differently. Partly because it is also about the process of recording, Numbered is a significant contribution to the question of how to represent survivors respectfully. Even if it seems like there is nothing new to say about the Holocaust (at least cinematically), young Israeli filmmakers are using the camera in original, stylistically rich, and philosophically meaningful ways."

by Annette Insdorf, The Holocaust Haunts The Flat and Israeli Documentariess, The Huffington Post, October 19, 2012

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Pictures