The Survivor in a Tuxedo

Synopsis

At 28, Elie Wiesel wrote a letter revealing his ambition to win the Nobel Prize for Literature—for Night, his memoir written after his liberation from the camps. Decades later, he did win the Nobel—for Peace. In that gap he lived his entire life. Wiesel became the conscience of the free world, wearing his survival like a tuxedo over the prisoner’s uniform he could never part with. The filmmaker, whose father was deported on the same train to Auschwitz as Wiesel, sets out on a personal investigation—believing that important figures deserve more than reverence—they deserve the truth.

About the Director

David Fisher

A tireless advocate for documentary film, David Fisher’s work is defined by investigative rigor and an uncompromising personal voice. Daring to touch taboos, his films move between the intimate and the historical, broadcasting on major Israeli TV stations as well as PBS, BBC Storyville, and ARTE. He has served on juries at HotDocs, IDFA, and Karlovy Vary (chair), among others. In 2022, BAFICI (Argentina) dedicated a retrospective to his work. His films include The Survivor in a Tuxedo (2026), which premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival; The Round Number (2021), executive produced by Errol Morris; Six Million and One (2011), a ZDF/ARTE co-production honored at Seattle, DOK.fest Munich, and Krakow, and selected for IDFA’s main competition; and Love Inventory (2000), winner of the Israeli Film Academy Award. From 1999-2008, Fisher served as Director of the New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and TV.

Artistic Statement

“In my writing, I try to shake people out of their complacency. I am not looking for peace of mind. I am looking for the truth,” Elie Wiesel said, and added in one of his famous speeches, “The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.” Those words became an invitation. I saw in them a summons to embark on a journey into his life, his words, his career—and to trace how that conviction shaped everything he stood for.

Festivals, Screenings, & Awards

Jerusalem Film Festival – 2026