Budapest Diaries — Claims Conference Film Grants

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Personal diaries written during the war in Budapest and document the everyday horrors and persecution of the Jews.

Synopsis

The film “Budapest Diaries” documents the events of the final year of WWII and the Holocaust of the Jews in Budapest, Hungary, as these appear in personal diaries written in real time by Jews and their Christian neighbors. The diaries depict from the diverse perspectives the daily decline, the persecution of the Jews, the battles that almost destroyed the city and the disillusionment at the end of the war. The diaries in the film were selected out of 100 diaries that were written by “ordinary people” who recount the rumors, the hopes, the bitter tidings. The diaries intimately depict, without any filters, the emotions of the writers, their worldview and often reveal dark secrets.

About the Director

Shay Fogelman was born in Haifa, Israel in 1971. He is a documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist, literature editor, and lecturer. Credits include:

CHASING YEHOSHUA – director, cinematographer, editor

SAVOY (dir: Yohar Wagner, 2022) – Researcher

TANTURA (dir: Alon Schwartz, 2022) – Researcher

THE FIRST 54 YEARS (dir: Avi Mograbi, 2021) – Researcher

21 DAYS INSIDE (dir: Zohar Wagner, 2019) – Executive Producer

WENDING (dir: Avi Belkin, 2014) – Editing Advisor

MESSIAH (dir: Yoav Shamir, 2013) – Researcher

AT JOSEPH’S TOMB (dir: Yael Kiper, 2004)

CHECKPOINT (dir: Yoav Shamir, 2003) – Researcher, Field Producer

Artistic Statement

The Holocaust and WWII are undoubtedly the worst tragedies in human history. A glimpse into the diaries written at the time by victims, their persecutors and the local civilians provides a unique perspective on the events, the beliefs, the hopes and the human dimension of the tragedy. The diaries expose that the population-Jews and Christian alike knew of the fate of the Jewish communities in Germany and Poland and understood the fate that awaits the city’s Jewish community. The diaries that were written by diverse people attest to the sincere concern for their fate or to their heartless nature. The diaries attest to the way in which propaganda works; to the circumstances that evoke nationalist feelings and xenophobia. The diaries prove that the people who committed the acts weren’t monsters, rather human beings.