Winter’s Children

The Jeden Svět (One World) film festival concluded last night with an English screening of the film that won the best director award. The film was introduced by the director, Jenz Chanze, who stood in front of us and explained that 49% of Germans believe their ancestors were not active Nazi members. This is obviously not historically correct, and he decided to open a chapter of his own family history, bringing to light his mother’s difficult childhood and her conflicted thoughts about her father.

The movie was an intimate experience in several ways. The subject was awfully personal for the director, and throughout the movie I felt as if he had made the film for himself instead of for an audience. Additionally, it was a very small theater, and the director held a question and answer session after the film. It was a memorable, thought-provoking experience that concluded my documentary marathon at Jeden Svět.