Film Screening: “The Commandant’s Shadow”

Award-winning documentary The Commandant’s Shadow follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, former Commandant of Auschwitz, as he faces his father’s terrible legacy for the first time. 

While Hans Jürgen enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz, Jewish prisoner Anita Lasker-Wallfisch struggled to survive unimaginable conditions within the camp. At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment – eight decades later – when the two come face-to-face. This is the first time the descendant of a major Nazi war criminal meets a Holocaust survivor in such a private and intimate setting, Anita’s London living room. Together with their children, Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, the four protagonists explore their very different hereditary burdens.

This once-in-a-lifetime feature-length documentary explores the long shadows cast by the crimes that impact generations, raising questions about love, guilt, and forgiveness. At the same time, it is also a story of hope, acceptance, and compassion.

Run time: 1 hour, 47 minutes

Presented in partnership with Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema.

Free to the public. Reservations required.