The Australian Premiere of Inna Rogatchi’s The Lessons of Survival Film at the Holocaust Film Series in Australia

Inna Rogatchi has presented her film The Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal at the Holocaust Film Series of the Jewish International Jewish Festival in Australia. The film has had its Australian premiere in both Melbourne and Sydney.

According to Eddie Tamir, director of the Festival, ‘there is no analogies to the Holocaust Film Series in the world’, and the intensive 2-week programme of the Festival did demonstrate it convincingly.

Inna’s film has been one of 12 documentaries presented at the Holocaust Film Series, and is one among 30 films of all genres selected by the JIFF organisers among more than 300 films from all around the world.

Inna Rogatchi has been a Special Guest of the Festival, and also participated in the Questions & Answers series after all screenings of her film were completed. In Melbourne, the Q&A series was hosted by the Festival director Eddie Tamir; in Sydney – by the world-renowned historian professor Konrad Kwiet.

Inna Rogatchi and Mari Koukonen at the Q&A sessions in Melbourne, March 2015     Inna Rogatchi and the director of the Festival Eddie Tamir at the Q&A sessions in Melbourne, March 2015

Inna Rogatchi and the director of the Festival Eddie Tamir at the Q&A sessions in Melbourne, March 2015 
Left photo by Mari Koukonen; Right Photo by Pauline Wrobel 
Courtesy: The Rogatchi Foundation

The Finnish Embassy in Australia has been present at the first showing of the Australian premiere of Inna Rogatchi’s film by culture attache Mari Koukonen.

In both major cities of Australia, Inna Rogatchi’s film about Simon Wiesenthal has evoked great interest. Both Melbourne and Sydney audiences were filled with people, many of whom happened to be children or grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, thus making the presentation of the film in which Simon Wiesenthal shares his views on the Holocaust and its consequences to people’s lives, a very personal experience for many in the audience.

The director of the Festival Eddie Tamir has attributed the film as “Wiesenthal Unplugged”, and has expressed many valuable comments on the new material shown in the film, and on its unusual character and effect. “Not only can we see, but indeed, we can feel Simon Wiesenthal very close to us, as if he speaks to each of us in this hall personally. This is an extremely rare experience which we all would remember forever”.

Inna Rogatchi and Eddie Tamir starting the Q&A session in Melbourne

Inna Rogatchi and Eddie Tamir starting the Q&A session in Melbourne 
Photo by Pauline Wrobel 
Courtesy: The Rogatchi Foundation

The audience has been so interested in the film that many people suggested to Inna to make a dramatised movie about Simon Wiesenthal whom she knew very well – as this “would be extremely interesting, and also a first-hand witness, as Wiesenthal is, and telling the essential things about the Holocaust is of an absolute necessity”, according to members of the public who participated in the Q&A session, and who represented the Melbourne Holocaust Museum & Educational Centre.

Many times during the Q&A sessions, people have asked Inna why Simon Wiesenthal had to carry his mission basically alone, for all those years ? Where were all these institutions, organisations, governments, and philanthropists ?

Many people in the audience were sharing the remarkable stories of their families all affected by the Holocaust, too.

During the presentation of the film in Sydney, there has been a vivid discussion during the Q&A session chaired by professor Konrad Kwiet, former Chief Historian of the Australian State Commission on the War Crimes, and current Chief Historian of the Sydney Jewish Museum. One of the central matters discussed there was the issue of the role of the Allied governments at the time immediately following WWII, during the time, which presumably was essential for the investigation and prosecution of Nazi crimes world-wide. This time had been deliberately wasted for such naturally expected prosecution, and it has been one of the major unsettling phenomena in the post-WWII and post-Holocaust history.

During her presence at the Holocaust Film Series in Australia, Inna Rogatchi has given a number of interviews and made TV appearances.

Some of Inna’s interviews can be watched and listened to here:

Radio Interview with Greg King at the Holocaust Film Series (International Jewish Film Festival), Melbourne, Australia, March 2015:

Local Copy of Greg King’s .mp3 file 
For best results: right click the link and save the .mp3 file to your device.

Radio interview with leading Australian Film Critic Peter Krausz for his weekly radio programme METROPOLIS, the Holocaust Film Series of the International Jewish Film Festival, Melbourne-Sydney, March 2015:

Original Copy of Peter Krausz’s .mp3 file of the interview

Local Copy of Peter Krausz’s .mp3 file of the interview 
For best results: right click the link and save the .mp3 file to your device.