Since the closing film of the Asheville Film Festival was not available for review, this is merely drawn from the film’s press notes: “Defiant Requiem tells the little-known story of the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin. Led by imprisoned conductor Rafael Schächter, the inmates of Terezin fought back…with art and music. Through hunger, disease and slave labor, the Jewish inmates of Terezin hold on to their humanity by staging plays, composing opera and using paper and ink to record the horrors around them. This creative rebellion reaches its peak when Schächter teaches a choir of 150 inmates one of the world’s most difficult and powerful choral works, Verdi’s “Requiem,” re-imagined as a condemnation of the Nazis. The choir would ultimately confront the Nazis face to face… and sing to them what they dare not say. For over 10 years, conductor Murry Sidlin has dreamed of bringing the Requiem back to Terezin. Now, through soaring concert footage, powerful survivor recollections, cinematic dramatizations and evocative animation, Defiant Requiem brings the incredible story of this artistic uprising to life.”
The Fine Arts Theatre’s Asheville Jewish Film Festival concludes with Defiant Requiem Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. with an encore show Friday, May 17 at 1 p.m. For more info go to: www.ashevillejewishfilmfestival.com
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