Latest news with #Auschwitz
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Digital replica of Auschwitz created due to growing interest from filmmakers
Due to conservation protection, shooting films at the Auschwitz site is not possible. In order to meet the needs of filmmakers, the Auschwitz Museum has made a digital replica, which was created "out of the growing interest of directors in the history of the German camp," explains Bartosz Bartyzel, a spokesman for the museum, in an interview with Euronews Culture. Euronews Culture: Where did the idea to create a digital replica of Auschwitz come from? Bartosz Bartyzel: The Auschwitz Museum has been working with filmmakers for many years - both documentary filmmakers and feature film directors. However, due to the conservation protection of the authentic Memorial Site, it is not possible to shoot feature films at the site. The idea to create a digital replica was born out of the need to respond to the growing interest in the history of the Auschwitz German camp in cinema and the daily experience of dealing with the film industry. This tool offers an opportunity to develop this cooperation in a new, responsible and ethical formula. Why is a replica necessary? B.B.: The regulations in force at the Memorial preclude the possibility of shooting feature films on the authentic and protected site of the former camp. However, filmmakers - especially those who want to reach for more narrative forms - need a space that allows them to tell the story faithfully. With a digital replica, they can do this without compromising the integrity of the historic site. Were filmmakers consulted with before the implementation? B.B.: In fact, it was the day-to-day collaboration with filmmakers and the production needs and challenges they reported that inspired the project. The idea was not detached from reality - on the contrary, it was born out of specific conversations, experiences and questions that had been coming from the creative community for years. Who was involved in the creative process? How long did it last? B.B.: The Picture from Auschwitz project is a joint initiative of the Auschwitz Museum, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and a team of technology specialists led by Maciej Żemojcin. The very concept crystallised over several months in the course of joint work and discussions. The technical team used the most advanced spatial scanning technologies to create a digital replica of the Auschwitz I camp. At the moment, the Foundation is making efforts to raise the funds needed to continue the project - to create a digital replica of the grounds of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, as well as the interiors of some of the buildings. What reactions did you receive after the announcement of the creation of the replica? B.B.: The reactions were definitely positive - both from the film community, which sees this as a viable and professional working tool, and from the general public, for whom this is an opportunity to learn about history in a deeper and more authentic way through the medium of film. The project has also been recognised in international debate, including at the Marché du Film in Cannes. Are there already willing filmmakers who will benefit from the replica? B.B.: We have already started discussions with the first filmmakers who have expressed an interest in collaborating using the digital replica. The details of these projects remain at the agreement stage for the time being, but we hope to be able to provide more information on the first productions soon. How has this project been funded and what will it take to sustain it? B.B.: The creation of the replica is financed by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation from earmarked donations made by private donors. The Foundation is seeking funds to continue the project. Its assumption is that ultimately the maintenance and development of the programme will be financed through licence fees paid by film producers who will use the materials within the Virtual Film Location. This way, the project will become a self-financing tool, simultaneously supporting the educational and commemorative mission of the Memorials. What difficulties have arisen in implementing the project? B.B.: Such large and innovative projects always face difficulties. One of the biggest was, of course, obtaining adequate funding to start and develop the project. A key challenge was also the need to reconcile high-tech solutions with the very special status of the space we were mapping. Although we are working in a digital environment, we must not forget that every step we take concerns an authentic Memorial, which is subject to unique protection. This must be a priority thought in every action.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘The Last Twins' Review: A Rare Holocaust Story
The documentary 'The Last Twins' tells the harrowing true story of Erno Spiegel, a Jewish man who was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, but was spared for one reason: He was a twin. Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi physician, considered twins to be the ideal subjects because they allowed him to conduct what he believed were controlled genetic studies. He made Spiegel preside over a group of around 60 twin boys — many of whose lives Spiegel would save. Directed by Perri Peltz and Matthew O'Neill, 'The Last Twins' is a conventional documentary made up of talking heads, archival materials and somber narration by Liev Schreiber. The speakers are mostly Holocaust survivors — some of the very boys whom Spiegel protected by forging documents or keeping crucial information secret. After the camps were liberated, Spiegel ended up leading his group of twins on a brutal winter trek through Poland and back home to Hungary. Hearing these survivors, now well into their 90s, talk about their experiences is devastating and poignant. But a cynical part of me wonders to what extent a documentary like 'The Last Twins' simply scratches the same itch, allowing viewers to indulge a kind of morbid (if sympathetic) curiosity in the Holocaust. Should every unique survival story be packaged into the same kind of storytelling blueprint? One answer might be that real heroes — in the Holocaust and other histories of genocide — are often the stuff of fiction. Here, heroism is presented less as a feat of preternatural bravery than a series of choices made by someone who simply refused to give up his humanity. The Last TwinsNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 25 minutes. In theaters.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Musk calls out media hypocrisy over Booker ‘Nazi salute' hand gesture
(WTVO) — Elon Musk has called out 'legacy media' for hypocrisy over how news agencies covered Sen. Cory Booker's (D-N.J.) arm gesture after the tech billionaire faced a firestorm over a similar gesture earlier this year. While speaking at the California Democratic Convention on Saturday, Booker put his hand on his heart and then extended his arm toward the crowd. , with users placing it side-by-side with a nearly identical gesture made by Elon Musk on President Donald Trump's inauguration day. Musk's gesture sparked headlines and controversy over whether the Tesla CEO was giving a Nazi salute. 'Legacy media lies,' Musk in a comment to a user's tweet on X, comparing news coverage of Booker's gesture to his own. He also posted between Newsweek headlines on both incidents, with one reading '80 Years After Auschwitz, Elon Musk Keeps the Facist Salute Alive' and the other 'MAGA Accuses Democratic Senator Cory Booker of Doing 'Nazi Salute'.' 'Fate loves irony, but hates hypocrisy,' Musk wrote. At the time, Musk claimed the media misrepresented his gesture, which he said was intended to be a symbol of love. 'My heart goes out to you,' Musk said after making the gesture. 'And it's thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Musk's defense, '@elonmusk is being falsely smeared. Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.' The Anti-Defamation League also opined, 'It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.' Maya Krishna-Rogers, deputy communications director for Booker, denied the Senator had made a 'Nazi salute.' 'Cory Booker was obviously just waving to the crowd. Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk's gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
SBS Australia
28-05-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
Holocaust survivor Yvonne Engelman's lasting legacy
Holocaust survivor Yvonne Engelman's lasting legacy Published 28 May 2025, 8:39 am One of Australia's last remaining holocaust survivors has died, aged 98. Yvonne Engelman was her family's sole survivor. As a young girl she narrowly escaped death in Auschwitz. She dedicated her life to educating people on strength and resilience.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Australian Holocaust survivor saved by gas chamber malfunction dies aged 98
Australian Holocaust survivor Yvonne Engelman, who survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, has died aged 98. Yvonne died peacefully, after a short illness, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Funeral service attendees overfilled the chapel, pouring out onto the street to celebrate her life on Monday night. The founding member of the Sydney Jewish Museum was remembered for her fight to stand up for what is right in the face of adversity. Every week for the past 32 years, Mrs Engelman volunteered at the Sydney Jewish Museum to share her story to thousands. Her mission: "So it will never happen again". Mrs Engelman was born in 1927, in Dovhe, a farming village in Czechoslovakia, where her family lived for many generations. In 1944, the teenager, an only child, and her parents were taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, after being rounded up with other Jews in Czechoslovakia. She promised her father that she would survive, a story she shared with the world over the years. "My father said to me, 'I don't know where we are going, but I'm sure it's not a holiday,'" she said. "'You have to promise me one thing: that you will survive.' I said, 'Of course I will survive.' "They went to the left and I went to the right, and that was the last time I saw my parents." Yvonne was the only member of her family to survive. The 14-year-old had her head shaved and was stripped of her clothing before she was ushered into a room with showers, where she was locked up all day and night. But the gas was malfunctioning, forcing her capturers to put her to work, Mrs Engelman said. "We worked 10 hours daily with a great fear that maybe we would be the next [gas chamber] victims," she said. Auschwitz left its mark as one of the most infamous camps of the Holocaust, killing 1.1 million Jews of the six million who were murdered by Nazis in German-occupied Europe. She said she was sent to work in a factory in Germany as allies crept closer to victory. Once the war was over, Mrs Engelman made the decision to move to a country sponsoring orphans. "I had a look at the map, I wanted to get away as far as I possibly can from Europe, so I chose Australia." In 1949, in Sydney, Yvonne married another Holocaust survivor, John Engelman. Theirs was the first Holocaust survivors wedding to take place in Australia. Yvonne was described by friends as someone who "lived life as a celebration". She was grateful for everything, with a strong will and resolute spirit, her colleagues from the Sydney Jewish Museum said. "She treasured her family and they treasured her; she was their centre and their heart." Yvonne leaves a unique legacy, having inspired countless people of all ages and faiths with a message of tolerance and resilience.
