Since the beginning of the 20th century, film has become the primary
medium through which we learn about the world and form our perceptions
about personalities, places and events. Films—whether feature length,
documentaries, shorts, un-cut testimonies or home videos, and whether
viewed in theaters, on television sets or on computer terminals—have made
a tremendous impact on both our understanding of and our perceptions about
the Holocaust. No one who has seen Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List,
with its portrayal of Amon Goeth randomly shooting Jews in the Plaszow
camp, will ever shake that image of Nazi brutality. The heroism and
determination of some Holocaust survivors is palpable in Exodus, while the
desperation of others is evoked deeply by Rod Steiger in The Pawnbroker.
Images like these both haunt and inform us.
It is only fitting, therefore, that as part of the recently opened Museum
Complex, Yad Vashem has created a new Visual Center for the collection,
study and viewing of films about the Holocaust and related subjects. The
construction of the Visual Center was made possible through the generous
donations of the Righteous Persons Foundation headed by Steven Spielberg,
(USA), and Daniella and Daniel Steinmetz (Israel). Liat Ben Habib is the
Director of the Visual Center, which is under the auspices of the Yad
Vashem Library.
Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev explains: “The Visual
Center aspires to build a comprehensive collection of films about the
Holocaust and related subjects, thus becoming the world center for
cinematic works on the Holocaust. With its unique resources, over the
coming years, the Visual Center will become the foremost portal through
which scholars, students, film creators and the general public will access
information about and view Holocaust-related films.”
The core of the collection is comprised of the many films acquired for
viewing and research purposes over the years by Yad Vashem. In addition to
collecting the films and the rights to show them, the Visual Center has
also begun creating a database of detailed information about all
Holocaust-related films as well as survivor testimonies. Notably, the over
50,000 survivor testimonies recorded by the Shoah Visual History
Foundation, established by Steven Spielberg, will eventually be available
for viewing.
Working with Yad Vashem’s Information Systems, the Visual Center is
currently deep into the process of digitizing its holdings. Hence visitors
can now view films at the click of a mouse, either by selecting one of the
more popular titles suggested by the Visual Center’s staff, or by
searching the database for films by genre, subject or by more specific
criteria. Groups of visitors will be able to view films in a specially
designed theater.
As a knowledge-based organization, Yad Vashem is planning to sponsor
regularly held symposia hosted by the Visual Center, in order to further
the understanding of films about the Holocaust. In addition, grants and
prize money will be made available to the best among researchers and
filmmakers on the subject. The first such prize is the Yad Vashem
Chairman’s Award for a cinematic work related to the Holocaust. This
annual grant is endowed by Michaela and Leon Constantiner (USA).
Since films about the Holocaust and associated subjects continue to be
made all over the world, the Visual Center is also reaching out to the
global film community. “As the Visual Center embarks upon its first year
of activity, we call upon filmmakers and distributors everywhere to help
us acquire films and grant us the rights to make them available for public
viewing at Yad Vashem,” says Ben Habib. “Films are made to be seen. By
placing material in the Visual Center, a filmmaker gives audiences access
to his or her film, and with that the possibility to research it and
absorb its message. On a practical basis, members of the public will also
be able to contact the filmmaker for further acquisitions. All of these
will broaden the impact of the film, enabling it to continue to contribute
to our understanding of—and influence our perceptions about—the Holocaust,
its causes and its repercussions.”
