Survival & Memory: What Decent People do in Times of Crisis
Three films by award winning director Jacky Comforty
Jacky Comforty has created documentary films and videos in the United States, Germany, Israel, and Bulgaria. He commands a range of genres, from documentaries to comedies. He is known for the effective, sensitive, interviewing techniques he has developed for oral histories and other projects requiring on-camera discussions that are genuine, meaningful, and in-depth.
Over the last 30 years, Jacky Comforty has specialized in two main subjects. His work has been groundbreaking in the fields of Inclusive Education and Holocaust Studies. He is particularly known for his work on the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust. He is curator and owner of a large photographic, film, and audio archives of historical and scholarly significance to Holocaust Studies and of smaller collections about early childhood education, peace education, and history.
Jacky Comforty is the creator/producer and distributor of the best-selling Inclusion Series that helped implement inclusive practices in U.S. school districts and is used in hundreds of universities around the country. He currently lives in Bloomington.
IN THE SHADOW OF MEMORY
A one-hour documentary film about on-going struggles of children and grandchildren to come to grips with Nazi horrors suffered by their elders. The film focuses on Jerri Zbiral, the daughter of a survivor of the Nazi destruction of the Catholic village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia. Even though Jerri was born after the war, her mother’s stories continue to have a profound effect on her life. The 50th anniversary of the Lidice massacre provides a back-drop for Jerri to speak with women who survived the ordeal, with German visitors to the memorial ceremony and with others.
“…a powerful teaching tool on the effects of Nazi terrorism on succeeding generations. By demonstrating how prejudice and bigotry does not by itself diminish with the passing of time, the tragic story of Lidice is a legacy for all people…The fact that the film deals with a non-Jewish incident, the impact of evil on children and subsequent generations is one which must be communicated to a mass audience.” – Karen Friedman, Director, ADL Braun Holocaust Institute
Tickets Day of Show: 1 Film $10 All Three: $20
Tickets in Advance 1 Film $8 All Three $16
You can purchase tickets in advance for the Fine Arts screenings of In The Shadow of Memory here
You can purchase tickets in advance for the Sunday Bear’s Place screening here
You can purchase the three-movie package in advance here
THE OPTIMISTS
How were 50,000 Bulgarian Jews saved from the Holocaust despite the intense efforts of their government to deport them? The Optimists tells the dramatic story of how people of all ethnic backgrounds and religions at the eleventh hour, secured the safety of their Jewish neighbors.
“The Optimists is a wonderful film. The title refers not only to a Bulgarian jazz band, but to how the audience feels after watching such a moving testament to human decency.” – Annette Insdorf, author of Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust
Tickets Day of Show: 1 Film $10 All Three: $20
Tickets in Advance 1 Film $8 All Three $16
You can purchase tickets in advance for the Woodburn Hall screenings of The Optimists here
You can purchase tickets in advance for the Sunday night Bear’s Place screening of The Optimists here
You can purchase the three-movie package in advance here
BALKAN JAZZ
The life story and music of Niko Nissimov and his Jewish friends, pioneers of Jazz music in Bulgaria. The movie charts the rise of their band Jazz of The Optimists to stardom in the late 1930s. The beginning of WWII changed everything for them as Bulgaria joined the Axis powers. Anti-Jewish laws and restrictions brought the band to a halt. All Jewish men were drafted to slave labor camps, and the entire community was on the verge of extinction. Niko was saved by his friends at the last minute from a transport destined for the death camp of Treblinka.
This testimony to friendship and the human spirit is told by Niko Nissimov, his brother Harry Nissimov, band mate, David Eskin, and his Bulgarian friend and rescuer Anton Kirilov. The rich soundtrack is layered with original music recordings by The Optimists. The private documents, photo albums, and archival footage are the backdrop of this amazing story of creativity, adventure, and endless optimism facing of impossible odds.
Tickets Day of Show: 1 Film $10 All Three: $20
Tickets in Advance 1 Film $8 All Three $16
You can purchase tickets in advance for the the Woodburn Hall screenings of Balkan Jazz here
You can purchase tickets in advance for the Sunday night Bear’s Place screenings of Balkan Jazz here
You can purchase the three-movie package in advance here