Film Premiere: “Speer Goes To Hollywood”
Grand winner of the Israeli Academy Awards and winner of three major awards at the Israeli Documentary Awards, Speer Goes to Hollywood presents the enigma of Albert Speer: the highest-ranking Nazi in Nuremberg who, despite his crimes, was spared the death sentence.
Speer was one of Hitler’s closest confidants and his chief architect, tasked with rebuilding Berlin as the capital of a global empire. Appointed Minister of Armaments and War production in 1942, Speer was responsible for 12 million slave laborers. And yet, even now, he has the reputation of being the “good Nazi” – a myth he carefully constructed himself.
Speer Goes to Hollywood is the film that Speer never made. Based on months of audio cassettes recorded by screenwriter Andrew Birkin, it features Speer’s callous attempt to whitewash his past in a feature film. The rare archival materials selected to illustrate his account offer us a chance to look beyond his words and ponder whether this eloquent but ultimately self-serving narcissist was recording history – or recording his story.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Director & Co-Producer, Vanessa Lapa, moderated by John Davis, Illinois Holocaust Museum Board of Directors. A wine and cheese reception will follow.
Tickets: $5.00
Film length: 97 minutes
Community Partners: Illinois Film Office; DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts
“Quietly stunning” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Intriguing document, highlighting the ease with which the most reprehensible figures are able to whitewash their legacies.” – The New York Times
“Engrossing, groundbreaking and thought-provoking. Speer Goes to Hollywood is a must see.” – Etgar Keret, Israeli award-winning writer
Presented in partnership with JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival.
This program is proudly supported by the Israel Engagement Fund: A JCC Association of North America Program Accelerator.
