Gerda's Silence

Gerdas Schweigen
Director: Britta Wauer
Germany 2008 88 mins
Language: English and German with English subtitles

After sixty years of silence, the journalist grandson of Gerda Schrage’s childhood friend finally persuades her to talk for the first time about her experiences in Germany during the war. What emerges goes beyond anyone’s imagination: both a deeply moving, tragic tale of personal loss and a series of wholly unexpected revelations that astonish her family, and throw her reluctance to talk previously into a new light.

As time passes, there is more and more urgency to hear from the survivors of the Holocaust. But as we repeat the mantra ‘to forgive and not forget’, are there some experiences really better left untold? Do survivors themselves have the right to remain silent? With its gorgeous photography and musical score, this is a beautifully atmospheric documentary about memory, family relationships and how the distance between truth and expectation can turn worlds upside down. DB

If you are unable to make the screening of Gerda's Silence in our festival, please note that the film is also screening as part of the German Film Festival:
http://www.germanfilmfestival.co.uk/germandox/gerda.html

Screening with

Mama Le’Chaim

Dir. Elkan Spiller | USA | 2008 | 5 mins | English

A lively and humorous portrait of 62-year-old Chaim Lubelski who lives with his 95-year-old mother, a concentration camp survivor.