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By KEVIN KAZOKAS [email protected]
Saturday, October 02, 2004 Page: 11A
WILKES-BARRE – The Jewish Federation of Greater Wilkes-Barre will open its
Community Campaign tomorrow night at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing
Arts with a screening of the documentary film “Imaginary Witness: Hollywood
and the Holocaust.”
The motion picture describes the reaction of the American film industry to
the Holocaust from the World War II period to the present day. Its associate
producer and associate editor, Nate Smith, will be on hand to answer questions
afterward.
Smith, a Bear Creek native, said he’s enthused about returning to the area
for the screening. The 26-year-old Brooklyn resident found making the film
rewarding but sometimes disturbing.
“It was difficult, especially watching newsreel footage, and the nature of
doing a project like this necessitates watching things over and over,” Smith
said.
Still, he said, “it was really exciting to work on it because it was a
subject that is very close to me personally. It’s very much a film about
films, and I come from a film background.”
The documentary uses firsthand accounts of directors, actors, writers and
producers in analyzing how American filmmakers portrayed the horrors of Nazi
Germany. It includes interviews with directors Steven Spielberg, Sidney Lumet,
Dan Curtis and Vincent Sherman, as well as with actor Rod Steiger.
“I think historically it gives people something to think about in terms of
the Holocaust and in terms of our response toward world events today,” said
Paula Chaiken, assistant director of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Wilkes-Barre.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and has been
shown at film festivals throughout the nation.
The Community Campaign continues through the summer. Money raised will go
to a variety of area Jewish institutions and fund things such as scholarships,
hot meals for senior citizens, kosher-meal delivery and all programs of the
Jewish Community Center, Chaiken said.
To make a donation, call 824-4646
IF YOU GO
What: The Jewish Federation of Greater Wilkes-Barre opens its Community
Campaign with a screening of the documentary film “Imaginary Witness:
Hollywood and the Holocaust.”
When: 7 p.m. tomorrow
Where: F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Public Square,
Wilkes-Barre.
Cost: $5, tickets available at the door.