“Hitler’s Chidren” is a documentary film that reveals on screen, for the first time, how family members of Hitler’s inner circle struggle with the burden of a family legacy, and surname, equated with pure evil. These children and grandchildren of the most senior Nazi officers, share with the viewer the conflicted feelings of guilt and responsibility they carry with them in their daily lives.
During press interviews, director and producer Chanoch Ze’evi revealed that a personal meeting with the former secretary of Hitler, Traudl Junge, in her flat in Munich, was the trigger that led to the production of “Hitler’s Children". “When I sat in front of her I suddenly understood that the need to try and understand the roots of evil that led to the horrors of the Holocaust was an integral part of its narrative. I understood that the dialogue with the “other side” can teach us many new things about the fertile ground on which the hatred grew while, as descendants take responsibility for their families' and nations' crimes, simultaneously conveying a message of hope for the future”.
Ze’evi further added: “My intention is that the film will successfully touch varied audiences and by doing so stimulate the discussion of the holocaust of European Jewry from a new point of view and ultimately provide an undisputable answer to Holocaust deniers.
Hitler’s Children is produced by Maya Productions from Israel in coproduction with Saxonia Entertainment from Germany. The film was first broadcast on Israeli TV – Channel 2 on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day.
“Hitler’s Children” was chosen to participate in several leading film festivals across the globe including:
· IDFA in Amsterdam
· Thessaloniki International Film Festival
· The International Film Festival in Moscow
· The International Film Festival in Warsaw
· Dok-Fest in Munich
· The International Film Festival in Lithuania
· The Documentary Edge Film Festival in New Zealand
· International TV Industry Festivals INPUT in Sydney and Taiwan.
The film is a finalist in the category of Best TV Programmes Broadcast in Europe in the Prix Europa 2012 competition.
“Hitler’s Children” distribution rights in North America have been purchased and it is expected to screen in theatres in the US in 2013-2014. This presents another step in the extraordinary success of this documentary which has been sold for broadcasting to many countries including Germany, Denmark, Russia, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Poland, Canada, Australia. It has received very positive reviews including its recent reviews in major UK newspapers following its broadcast on the BBC’s most prestigious prime time slot.
“The Times”
* * * * *
Remarkable documentary ... Superb film… Extraordinary
“The Guardian”
A quite exceptional hour of film-making that kept delivering emotional impact to the very end.
Hitler's Children was a film that had almost everything. It informed, it surprised, it made me think.
"The Independent"
Remarkable film …