Yael Reuveny — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

"Farewell Herr Schwartz" is a documentary about a Vilna Jewish family. Yael Reuveny, the granddaughter of Michla Pariser ne Schwartz who was born to a Vilner family. Yael reaps awards around the world for her fascinating film dealing with the complex story of her grandmother and brother in Vilna.

Ninety-six minutes, German, Hebrew and English, translated to Hebrew. Israel/ Germany, 2013.

Abstract

Michla Schwartz survives the concentration camps and makes aliyah knowing that her brother Feiv'ke has been murdered. Until her death, she continued to narrate the story of her beloved brother who went missing. However, over the years another truth is revealed - the beloved brother Feiv'ke changed his name to Peter and remained in East Germany to start a family where he had been a prisoner, the last place his sister would have looked for him.

A cinematic journey that begins with the investigation of a meeting missed under mysterious circumstances develops into an insight into the power of stories and our need to tell them, even seventy years after the end of that war.

Winner of the Prize for Best Documentary at the Haifa International Film Festival, 2013.