Sobibor Excavated – The 4 Stages of Deceit

Synopsis

The people who stepped off the train at Sobibor saw a picturesque village. Colorful houses with gleaming lawns, trees, and flowers. They believed they had arrived at a labor camp, as they had been told by the Germans when departing from the transit camp in Westerbork. Less than an hour later, these people were dead and reduced to ash—murdered in the gas chambers of the Nazis’ highly efficient extermination camp.

At the end of 1943, following a revolt, Sobibor’s gates were closed. The ashes of more than 200,000 Jews (many of them Dutch) were buried under a thick layer of soil and asphalt. In the seventy years that followed, the site was overtaken by trees, birds, foxes, shrubs, and grass.

Aside from a few witnesses, no one knows exactly what happened within the camp. The only “entity” that occasionally reveals its secrets is Sobibor itself. For years, archaeologists have been working to uncover its history. Layer by layer, they have unearthed events that the Nazis meticulously tried to erase, peeling back the ground to reveal the layered nature of the site. It is a place of deceptive beauty, haunted by a horrific past, where the apparent tranquility is as misleading as the Nazi philosophy behind the camp.

Sobibor Excavated – The 4 Stages of Deceit is a film about a cursed place and the people it draws to it. A place that both attracts and repels a diverse range of individuals: descendants, archaeologists, Holocaust deniers, and politicians—all following a path that leads to Sobibor.

The excavation, begun in 2007, was meant to bring peace to Sobibor. Instead, it has stirred up unrest: painful debates about the actual death toll, survivors fighting for a long-promised memorial center, and the Israeli initiator of the excavation walking away from the project. The long-awaited memorial center is still pending. Why is it taking so long? Will its construction finally lift Sobibor’s curse, allowing true mourning to begin? Will it provide a space where descendants can honor their loved ones, where future generations can learn about the atrocities committed, and where people can come to read, learn, and bear witness to history?

About the Director

Mark Limburg was born in 1967 in Haarlem, the Netherlands.

He graduated from the Royal Art Academy in the Hague (audiovisual design) in 1994. After that, he went on to direct music video’s, commercials, short films, corporate films, and documentaries.

Mark Limburg directed several award-winning short films and his work was shown on television and at festivals worldwide. From 2011 Mark specialized in creating documentaries. Since then he made several documentaries for National Dutch Television. From 2023 he is working on his international cinematic tetralogy: RAIN, WIND, SUN, ICE. He is a proud father of five children.

Artistic Statement

As a documentary filmmaker, I strive to uncover the hidden truths and fragile beauty of the human experience. My work is a bridge between the seen and the unseen, where stories emerge from the shadows to inspire empathy, challenge perceptions, and ignite conversations. I am drawn to the interplay between the intimate and the universal, capturing moments that resonate deeply yet reflect broader realities. Film, to me, is both a lens and a mirror—a way to explore the world while holding it accountable. Through sound, image, and rhythm, I seek to honor the complexity of life and provoke thoughtful reflection.

Festivals, Screenings, & Awards

-Med Film Festival, Italy (2018)