I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors

201015 min 1 secFilm: Animation

G

Direction: Ann Marie Fleming

Production: David VerrallSilva BasmajianMichael FukushimaGerry Flahive

Script: Ann Marie Fleming

‘‘The Holocaust is a drug….”

I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors is director Ann Marie Fleming’s animated adaptation of Bernice Eisenstein’s acclaimed illustrated memoir.  Through an artful blend of Eisenstein’s drawings, inventive animation and the author’s own voice, the film weaves together personal and global history. Eisenstein explores her own identity from a past that her parents, both Auschwitz survivors, don’t especially want to talk about. Using the healing power of humour, the film probes the taboos around a very particular second-hand trauma, leading us to a more universal understanding of human experience. The film explores identity and loss through the audacious proposition that the Holocaust is addictive and defining. I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors shakes up perspectives and conveys to a new generation the continuing legacy of the Second World War, which seared the word “genocide” into our collective consciousness. This is a poignant and wry exploration of grief, love, acceptance and resilience, through the enduring quality of family bonds.

Subject categories


  • Literature and Language > Adaptations of Literary WorksAnimation based on Literature
  • Literature and Language - Canada > Adaptations of Literary Works
  • Families > Animation on the FamilyFamily Portraits
  • War, Conflict and Peace > Holocaust
  • Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism > Jewish Community
  • Geography > Human Geography
  • Ethics and Religious Culture > Religious Diversity/Heritage
  • History > World War II

Credits


writer
Ann Marie Fleming
director
Ann Marie Fleming
based on the book
Bernice Eisenstein
narrator
Bernice Eisenstein
animation
Lillian Chan
Kevin Langdale
Howie Shia
editing
Ann Marie Fleming
Ileana Pietrobruno
original music
Normand Roger
Pierre Yves Drapeau
Denis Chartrand
sound design
Normand Roger
Pierre Yves Drapeau
Denis Chartrand
musician
Denis Chartrand
Bernard Cormier
Guy Donis
Pierre Yves Drapeau
Éric Lagacé
Nicolas Letarte
Patrick Vetter
technical co-ordination
Julie Laperrière
digital imaging specialist
Susan Gourley
re-recording
Jean Paul Vialard
on-line
Denis Gathelier
titles
Gaspard Gaudreau
marketing manager
Julie Armstrong-Boileau
administration
Gisèle Guilbault
Rosalina Di Sario
Rachel Punwassie
executive producer
David Verrall
Silva Basmajian
producer
Michael Fukushima
Gerry Flahive

Awards


  • Special Mention for the Short Film Competition Jury PrizeInternational Film Festival
  • Best Animated Film AwardReel to Real International Film Festival for Youth and Families
  • Michael Moskovitz Award for a Film on a Jewish ThemeJ.I. Segal Awards