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25th Annual Hartford Jewish Virtual Film Festival | Holy Silence
February 28, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - March 3, 2021 @ 7:00 pm
Documentary | 2020 | USA | 74min | English, Italian
Directed by Steven Pressman
Decades after the horrors of the Holocaust, a controversial debate continues over the role of the Vatican during that dark period of modern history. At the center of the debate is the pivotal question of what, if anything, Pope Pius XII might have done to resist the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism and intervene on behalf of the Jews of Europe.
Holy Silence is a documentary that cuts straight to the heart of that ongoing debate. In doing so, the film also focuses on a fascinating cast of historical figures, each of whom played a crucial role in the effort to shape the Vatican’s response to the Holocaust: a humble Jesuit priest from New England, a leading American industrialist dispatched on a mission by President Franklin Roosevelt, and high-ranking officials within the Vatican determined to carry out their own objectives.
TRAILER: https://player.vimeo.com/video/377128504
Sponsored By: Solinsky EyeCare
Community Partners: Jewish Community Foundation: The RONA GOLLOB Fund, Jewish Federation: Jewish Community Relations Council, Hartford Seminary
REEL TALK | March 2 | 7:30 p.m.
The Reel Talk programs featuring special guest panelists seek to enrich your cinematic experience with background, opinions, and interpretations. These filmmakers, authors, academics, and historians join us for live programs along with Q&A sessions on Zoom.
Guest Panelists: Steven Pressmen
Director and Producer
Dr. Suzanne Brown-Fleming
Director, International Academic Programs – Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies – United State
Holocaust Memorial Museum
Father Kevin Spicer
Professor of History at Stonehill College
Moderated By: Professor Avinoam Patt, Ph. D., UConn