By Mylee Dubin, Olivia Janis, and Taylor Johnson
“As a witness you have a particular responsibility to speak up,” said Director Oren Rudasky in the Q&A portion at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. This statement has resonated strongly with us, and undoubtedly just like his film Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire.
A big part of Jewish culture in Atlanta is the annual Jewish Film Festival. This year, the film Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire by Oren Rudavsky was shown at the festival at an exclusive screening for inspired students from all over Atlanta.
On Thursday, February 27th leaders of the Jewish Alliance group and students from Mr. Silverman’s screenwriting and Broadcast media & Video production classes had the special opportunity to go to the screening of the documentary.
Mr. Silverman felt this would be an amazing opportunity to engage in many important social and political topics, as well as shed light on what makes a successful documentary film.
That morning we took a bus to the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center for the viewing. As we approached the venue we saw several schools we recognized like Westminster and Woodward as well as some Jewish institutions that had come to learn more about the inspiring story of Elie Wiesel.
When we arrived we went through security, bought our concession stand snacks, and went to the Tara Theater. Snacks in hand, we were seated and awaited the show. A woman came out to introduce the film, and Rudavsky said a few words about the film.
The lights dimmed, and finally, it was time for the big show. The movie began with animations of Elie Wiesel’s life. These animations were very chaotic drawings and sketches which at first were confusing to us because we did not understand what they were. Soon, we realized the film had more of a documentary style, and the sketch animations aided in that storytelling by successfully communicating the emotions that Elie was feeling.
During the Q&A Rudasky offered insight into the lengthy animation process. The film had a total of 15 minutes worth of animation and each 8 seconds of animation took 10 hours to film.
There was also very powerful and bold music paired with the animations, which heightened the feelings of the audience. Personally, this music shook us to our core. The film documented Elie Wiesel’s whole life.
The film, directed by American filmmaker Oren Rudasky, is described by the AJFF as following “Wiesel’s journey from his childhood in a Romanian shtetl, through his harrowing experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, to his emergence as a globally acclaimed writer, teacher, and humanitarian.”
We learned that it was not easy for Weisel to start his career as a writer and advocate after surviving the Holocaust. He stayed inside for years not knowing what to do with his life. He was depressed and numb. However, after time went by, he realized it was his duty to talk about what he went through so it never happened again.
The film featured pictures of Wiesel in Auschwitz and Buchenwald which was really emotional. His life in the camp was beyond cruel and truly unimaginable. Elie told the daunting story of how his father passed away because he had become infected with Dysentery in Buchenwald very early after they had arrived. The images and stories from such an unforgettable and inhuman place left us feeling numb, but also truly inspired by Eli’s ability to overcome such trauma.
After the war, Elie was reunited with his sister in a French Orphanage, and while he was in Paris he studied to become a journalist. For the rest of his life he dedicated himself to his work to offset injustice and bring awareness to inequalities around the world.
The documentary included many different perspectives, from personal interviews with Wiesel and voice recording that played over the animations, to interviews with family members, colleagues, and friends.
His son Elisha shared many stories about how his dad inspired him throughout his life. He expressed that it was hard during school when kids talked about what their parents did. They would have the typical response like a doctor or lawyer, and Elisha would say my dad writes and advocates about surviving the Holocaust, which was hard for young kids to understand. His father was often in the spotlight as well and while Elisha was proud, it was not a “normal” childhood.
The documentary shared many moments when Elie Wiesel took a stand in the political world, fighting for human rights and what he believes in. One iconic moment was when Elie Wiesel stood up to President Reagan. Reagan was giving Wiesel the Congressional Gold Medal, but during Wiesel’s speech, he took the time to educate the Reagan administration on why it would be a mistake to visit the graves of SS workers in Germany. This was just one example of his bravery and courage which was awarded when he was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Elie Wiesel spent the rest of his life teaching. He died at age 87 after suffering an illness, but his legacy will forever live on.
Eighty-seven minutes later, we wiped away our tears, and we felt a renewed sense of empowerment, inspiration, and pride for our Jewish culture. One thing that stuck with all of us from the film was that Elie said to never stay quiet. This belief is truly what inspired Rudavsky to create this masterpiece in the first place. Soul on Fire was the first book Rudavsky read by Elie Wiesel, and it resonated with him deeply.
“Elie Wiesel is also like a soul on fire himself,” said Rudavsky.
