Why Holocaust films are a hard sell post-7 October

With films like Nuremberg explicitly tackling the Holocaust and the trial that followed, and Oscar contender Marty Supreme reflecting on post-Holocaust Jewish pride, it’s clear that it remains a compelling topic for filmmakers. 

But in a post-7 October 2023 world characterised by a surge in antisemitism, many view such movies through a different lens. 

“The Holocaust is the definitive human disaster of our era, and it’s unimaginably tragic and unimaginably the consequence of human evil. So, there will always be fascination with it,” said Gus Silber, a journalist, editor, speechwriter, and author. 

But it’s almost beyond our ability to comprehend, which is why film often breaks it down into smaller, relatable human stories, he said. 

The Holocaust also allows movies to explore the theme of triumph over adversity, said Justin Cohen, a Cape Town-based filmmaker. This is the case with Marty Supreme, where the title character, a Jewish ping-pong star played by Timothée Chalamet, says, “Just look at me. I’m here. I’m on top. I’m the ultimate product of Hitler’s defeat.” 

One of the reasons why it’s challenging for filmmakers to take on such stories is because they are often so open to interpretation. “You can tell a Holocaust story which is very specifically about the Holocaust, but people will read into it their own stories, prejudices, and understanding of human evil,” Silber said. 

This was the case with the controversial but critically acclaimed movie, The Zone of Interest, which follows a Nazi who lives with his family next door to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The film premiered shortly before 7 October 2023, and offered an original take on the Holocaust, with sounds from the neighbouring camp illuminating the horrors within. Yet, many saw the movie as a metaphor for the war in Gaza, despite it being made before it broke out. 

Its controversy heightened when it was named Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards. In his acceptance speech, the film’s Jewish director, Jonathan Glazer, suggested that the Holocaust was being “hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people”. 

Cohen said that with so much antisemitism and anti-Zionist sentiment today, the motivation of filmmakers themselves must be questioned. “Unfortunately, within the film industry at large, there are so many left leaning political voices that, if anything, give cover for antisemitism,” he said. 

Cohen suggests that examining the Holocaust may be a more “acceptable” way of exploring antisemitism on film than using current events. 

“We’re saying that we’re never going to let it happen again, but we aren’t actually addressing the elephant in the room – that there are lots of people who would love for it to happen again,” he said. 

That’s not to say that Holocaust films aren’t important. With podcasters like Joe Rogan hosting historical revisionists, they’re more vital than ever. “But my concern is this current antisemitic festering isn’t addressed by bringing up examples of it in the past. I want something that’s going to tackle what’s happening now. Yet, it doesn’t seem like we’re getting anything like that at the moment,” Cohen said. 

What’s more, even though Hollywood still seems to have an appetite for Holocaust movies, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t significant pushback for those looking to explore such stories. This was even the case for A-list Jewish actress Scarlett Johansson when making her directorial debut in Eleanor the Great, which examines Holocaust-survivor trauma and was released last year. One of the film’s financiers reportedly backed out because Johansson refused to remove Holocaust elements from the movie, elements which underpin the plot. 

“I would think anyone who wants to do a movie that has any kind of Holocaust theme now has to contend with what Johansson had to tackle, which is people saying, ‘Let’s rather not do this’,” said Silber. “Or they have to find a way to tell individual stories that can be simultaneously universal and touch viewers on a personal level.” 

In the South African context, say local Jewish filmmakers, even pitching movies with Jewish characters is resisted. For example, when Cohen initially pitched his film Free State to sales companies, which has Jewish characters but not a Jewish-related plot, he was told it would be a hard sell. “They said, ‘We’re going to struggle to sell this film in certain territories’, and it was clear this was because the characters were Jewish.” The film was ultimately sold to and released by M-Net in 2023. 

Cohen’s latest film, The Home, is a documentary about Jewish old-aged home Highlands House. “There have also been murmurings about whether the subject matter hurts the film in the current context,” he said. “Why are Jews in South Africa who are octogenarians at the end of their life somehow responsible for Israel’s foreign policy on the other side of the world?” 

Jordy Sank, an award-winning South African director, screenwriter, and producer known for his feature documentary, I Am Here, which tells the story of Holocaust survivor Ella Blumenthal, has had a similar experience. “I’ve got a bunch of other Jewish-themed content that I’m trying to produce. It’s not Holocaust-related at all, but some of it is very pro Jewish. And I’m finding it difficult to get these projects funded. No-one’s really interested, especially now, in hearing any Jewish perspective on anything.” 

Sank commends Hollywood filmmakers for getting movies like Nuremberg made in this political climate. Yet he stresses the importance of doing so, especially as the number of living survivors is rapidly diminishing. 

“When I created I Am Here, it was almost like making a time capsule where a survivor can engage with the younger generation, people who will never hear a firsthand account from a Holocaust survivor. Holocaust films make you think critically about what happened. The empathy that film can unlock in an audience is also unique to that art form. That’s the importance of bringing it back into the zeitgeist, especially now.”