Dr. Joseph Cohen will introduce this screening.

This astonishing documentary focusses on a series of interviews Lanzmann conducted in 1975 with Benjamin Murmelstein, a contentious figure appointed by the Nazis as ‘elder of the Jews’ at Thereseinstadt ghetto, and charged but acquitted for collaboration after the war. Murmelstein provides a vivid account of his experiences, including his relationship with principal Holocaust architect, Adolf Eichmann, ‘a demon’, he describes, who was anything but banal. An extension of Lanzmann’s Shoah (1985), this impactful film poses vital questions about our understanding of this dire and enduring catastrophe of modern times. (Notes by Alice Butler.)

Out of Competition, Official selection, Cannes 2013

Director’s Note: Rediscovering unseen material shot in 1975 for his landmark documentary Shoah (1985), Claude Lanzmann directs another fascinating, poignant and vertiginous film. 

This film is showing as part of the Carte Noire IFI French Film Festival (November 20th – December 1st, 2013).