Escape in 1937
Escape 1937 - Who helped Justus Nussbaum? is a German documentary directed by Abigail Mathew from 2016
The subject of the film is the flight of Alfred Gossels, Auguste Minna Thormann, Justus Nussbaum (the brother of the painter Felix Nussbaum ), his wife Sofie and their two-year-old daughter Marianne von Osnabrück to Amsterdam on July 2, 1937. The reasons for this migration are political Development in Germany and their partly Jewish descent. Two employees of Alfred Gossels and Justus Nussbaum - Friedrich Niehüser and Wilhelm Hellmeister - play a special role. You were instrumental in the successful escape.
Background and production
The film was made in connection with the treatment of refugee issues in Germany during German lessons at a school in Osnabrück. Abigail Mathew's great-grandfather was Wilhelm Hellmeister and thus the starting point for extensive research on which this film is based.
The author was 14 years old when the film was made, the film team involved in the production was only slightly older and worked, as was the Russian author of the soundtrack, without a fee. The basis for the film were private family documents, conversations with contemporary witnesses and historians, and research in various archives. She was supported in the research by her father, Mark Mathew, an employee of the Osnabrück Media Center, who advised her on questions relating to film technology.
The film shows historical documents, photos, a series of interviews, and some scenes are re-enacted by amateur actors. The locations were Osnabrück and Amsterdam. Sets in Osnabrück were u. a. the stairwell of the Osnabrück Police Department, the Museum Villa Schlikker , the former NSDAP headquarters of the city, and the Gestapo cellar memorial in Osnabrück Castle .
There was no script or storyboard for the film, it only got its final form after the editing of the film material (35 hours in total) by the author herself. The premiere took place on November 6, 2016 in the Cinema Arthouse in Osnabrück. The English dubbed version of the film, entitled Exodus 1937 , premiered on July 1, 2017 at Staffordshire University . and on July 16, 2017 again in Derby Quad-Kino in Derby .
A bilingual DVD version was created for private demonstrations.
The documentary has been an official educational film for schools since December 2017.
Awards
- 2016: Lower Saxony Student Peace Prize.
Web links
- Escape without a happy ending - Article noz.de
- Laura Borchardt: My great-grandfather, the escape helper NDR November 4, 2016
- Nazi film about family history - across the border, taz.de
- Christoph Franken: Meller Film celebrates two premieres in England in: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung June 6, 2017
Individual evidence
- ↑ Laura Borchardt: My great-grandfather, the escape helper NDR, November 4, 2016, accessed on November 9, 2017
- ↑ Escape without a happy ending: How an Osnabrück high school student tracked down her great-grandfather . ( noz.de [accessed on November 12, 2017]).
- ↑ Award winning documentary film premieres at Staffordshire University , accessed November 9, 2017.
- ↑ Christoph Franken: Joy in Osnabrück and Melle: Meller Film celebrates two premieres in England . ( noz.de [accessed on November 12, 2017]).
- ^ Documentary "Escape 1937 - Who helped Justus Nussbaum?" Is available again on DVD . ( osnabrueck.de [accessed on November 12, 2017]).
- ↑ Christoph Franken: Landesinstitut gives the green light: Escape 1937: A film from Melle for all schools . ( noz.de [accessed December 22, 2017]).
- ↑ Special award for Osnabrück filmmaker Abigail Mathew , accessed on November 9, 2017.
- ↑ Marek Majewsky: “Outstanding Individual Performance”: Film with Meller participation receives state award . ( noz.de [accessed on November 12, 2017]).