I’d done some work before for Fettle Animation on a Creative United commission so I was thrilled to be asked to cover the launch of their animated film ‘ The Children of the Holocaust’ at the very cool Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds. The film was created in conjunction with BBC Learning for school children to fit with the school curriculum on the Holocaust. The film features interviews and animated eyewitness accounts from 6 members of the Holocaust Survivors Friendship Society of Nazi atrocities during World War II. The stories are harrowing and the animation really brings to life how these atrocities were viewed through the eyes of children. I had the privilege of meeting and photographing the survivors who featured in the film and hearing about the daily impact these experiences have had and still have on their lives was humbling.
After the screening there was a Q&A session which led to some really interesting discussions about why the film is so crucial in the current climate of conflict around the world.
You can view some clips and access lots of information about the film through the BBC WEBSITE
One of the people featured in the film was Suzanne Ripton who was rescued by a brave neighbour as her parents were taken away in Nazi occupied France in the middle of the night. Her interview and story tells of her experiences of being in hiding and the impact this time has had on her life ever since.
Another person featured was Trude Silman who came from Czechoslovakia in 1939 to Britain via the Kindertransport (child transport) and shared her experiences of trying to settle into a new life. She lost her parents, her father in Auschwitz and her mother probably in a death march from a concentration camp. She is still searching for evidence about her parents deaths.
This is Arek Hersh who was 14 when he was taken to concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. His accounts are so harrowing and he continues to speak tirelessly about his experiences to raise awareness so that the atrocities are not forgotten and lessons are learned. The framed photograph he is holding as the title image for the blog post is a screenshot from the film showing him locked in a sealed wagon as he was transported for 2 days to the concentration camp.
A love for documentary photography comes through my commissioned work. You can view more work through my PORTFOLIO on my website