Petr Ginz + AJFF

 

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (@atljewishfilm) screened The Last Flight of Petr Ginz as the finale of the festival on Wednesday night.

I love (and wholeheartedly agree with) their review.

The imagination of a Czech child prodigy who perished at Auschwitz is celebrated in this inspiring testament to a boy’s wonder. Precocious and filled with intellectual curiosity, Petr Ginz was a gifted writer and artist who captured the inhumanities of war with surprising maturity, objectivity and even humor. By the time of his death at age 16, he had penned five novels, a diary and an underground newspaper in Terezín, and had produced hundreds of drawings and paintings. His story was largely unknown until the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia carried the boy’s artwork. Filmmakers Sandra Dickson and Churchill Roberts skillfully combine interviews and archival materials with exquisite animation of Petr’s designs. Poignantly narrated by sister Chava Pressburger and beautifully scored by composer John Califra, THE LAST FLIGHT OF PETR GINZ is a joint production of Wake Forest University and University of Florida.

We sneaked a picture of the slides playing before the screening.

The post-screening Q&A with Sandy, Cindy, and me.

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Here is the trailer for the documentary.

And here is a trailer specifically for the animated portion.