By, Jonathan Kalmus
1 min read
ByJonathan Kalmus, Jonathan Kalmus
An award-winning documentary by Leeds filmmakers is to be showcased at the Memorial de la Shoah centre in Paris as part of national commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the round-up of Jews in Nazi-controlled France.
Co-produced by Moortown-based Paul Bader and Barbara Govan, The Hidden Children follows four French Jews as they retrace their efforts to escape the 1942 deportation of 10,000 Parisian Jews. Most of those deported died in Nazi death camps.
The film was commissioned for BBC2 in 2007 and has won two international awards.
On Sunday, Ms Govan will introduce a special screening of The Hidden Children alongside survivor Suzanne Rappoport, 76, who settled in Leeds after the war and is among those featured in the documentary.
“We are honoured to be asked to take part in these historic commemorations in Paris,” she said, “and to take Suzanne with us from Leeds. She tells her story with great power and dignity.
“One of our film’s other survivors describes the period as a game of hide and seek with high stakes — if you lose you die. This film is about racism and extremism told through the eyes of children. It can open up the conversation with a young audience.” Ms Govan is lobbying for British schools to incorporate her film into Holocaust studies.