General Information

Israel, 2010 | Documentary, 89 min. | Digital Beta/ HD/ 35 mm
Director:Yael Hersonski
Producers: Noemi Schory, Itay Ken-Tor- Belfilms

Co-produced with: MDR, SWR, Yes Docu, In cooperation with: ARTE. Worldsales: Cinephil

"A Film Unfinished engages us, challenges us, and most importantly, teaches us -- not only about history, but about what we take for granted, and what we assume to be truth" (HOTDOCS Review)

"Moving, mysterious and intellectually provocative!"  (New York Times, Critic's Pick)

This film seeks for the truth behind one of the most mysterious Nazi propaganda films ever shot inside the Warsaw Ghetto. A rough draft of a silent film which juxtaposes meticulously staged scenes of Jews enjoying a life of luxury in the ghetto with other, chilling images that required no staging at all.

Ironically, after the war, filmmakers and museums used bits and pieces from the film as objective, general illustrations of the narratives collected from survivors and written documents. Few people were aware of the cynical manner in which these images were created and the true, yet inconceivable witness they bear. The cinematic deception was forgotten and the black and white images remained engraved in memory as historical truth.

The film interweaves diary entries written by ghetto inhabitants during the filming, the testimonies of living survivors who still remember the filming, and for the first time a rare interrogation protocol of one of the German cameramen, testifying about his role in the making of the film.
By juxtaposing the filmed scenes with its behind-the-scenes' layered reality, 'A Film Unfinished' shakes our uncritical trust in the photographic image and the way we perceive the historical past.

Article by Amy Kronish

Awards & Festivals

Jerusalem Film Festival - Van Leer Best Documentary Award and the Forum for the Preservation of Audio-Visual Memory Award
Sundance Film Festival - Best Editing Award
Silverdocs Festival - WGA Documentary Screenplay Award
Berlin Film Festival
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Hot Docs 2010 - Best International Feature Award

Festivals:

Cinémathèque | Ville de Luxembourg, November 2011

Embassy of Israel in Dublin, November 2011

Exile Film Festival Greece, November 2011

Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival, November 2011

Moscow Israel Film Festival, September 2011

Holocaust Fund of Jews from Macedonia 2011

SPLIT FILM FESTIVAL- Croatia 2011
Rio De Janeiro Jewish Film Festival 2011
Sao Paulo Jewish Film Festival 2011
Holocaust Fund of Jews from Macedonia 2011
Bucharest Jewish Film Festival 2011
Makedox International Film Festival 2011
PKF Milano Film Festival 2011

Zagreb Jewish Film Festival 2011

IndieLisboa Film Festival 2011

Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival 2011

FIlm IsReal. Holland 2011
One World Film Festival, Romania, March 2011
Jewish Historical Museum- Holland, March 2011
One World Film Festival, Prague , March 2011

EDOC- Ecuador Documentary Film Festival 2011

Biblioteca di Storia Moderna e Contemporanea, Italy 2011
Academy of Film & Multimedia Marubi, Albania 2011
Copenhagen Jewish Film Festival 2011
Memorial de la Shoah, France 2011
This Human World,  Vienna 2011

Planete Doc Review 2010

Jerusalem Film Festival 2010

Melbourne International Film Festival

Bangkok International Film Festival 2010

Taiwan International Film Festival 2010

Saarbruken Israeli Film Festival 2010

UK Jewish Film Festival 2010
Memorimage Barcelona 2010
Hong Kong Independent FF 2010
Verzio Intl. Human Rights Docs 2010
Belarusian Confederation of Creative Unions 2010
Filmoteca de Catalunya 2010
Pitigliano Rome Film Festival 2010
Rio International Film Festival 2010

Go2Films reprsent the film for Festivals and Edcucational, exclulding North America

Credits

Quotes

"Moving, mysterious and intellectually provocative!" Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times (Critic's Pick)

'GRADE: A' "A profound and vital documentary" Lisa Schwartzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

'FOUR STARS' "A subdued aural-visual symphony. A brilliant reminder of the importance of bearing witness." Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York (Critic's Pick)

"A unique cinematic experience. There's no doubting the profound depths of Hersonski's research, and her brilliant capacity to assemble this material into a coherent narrative." Eric Kohn, Indiewire

"Watching this film is like seeing a strong detective story, with the sleuth pointing out the clues along the way." Marshall Fine, Huffington Post

"A doc you shouldn't miss." Entertainment Weekly

'FIVE STARS.' "Remarkable. Both harrowing and fascinating at the same time. What you see stimulates contemplation about how we filter memories of painful historic events and how the truth about heinous human behavior must be fully disclosed. Hersonski proceeds in a cool, clear and convincing way to unfold the facts, making her truly revelatory documentary all the more important and compelling." Jennifer Merin, About.com

"Required viewing." Howard Feinstein, Screen Daily

"Proves that powerful truths can be found even within a compromised context." Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

"A ghostly, gripping documentary. A kind of historical detective story." Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

"Harrowing. A historically invaluable doc." John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

"Remarkable." Chris Chang, Film Comment

"Fascinating. Astonishing. Striking." Stephen Witty, Newark Star Ledger

"Thought-provoking. Remarkable." Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Pictures