 This award-winning documentary presents an untold tale of survival during the horrors of WWII, when thousand of Jews fled Europe for Shanghai, an open port which didn't require papers to enter. Told through home movies, archive footage, and interviews, a rare and moving portrait is painted of the refugees' courage and strength as they faced poverty, ghetto life, and xenophobia.
Synopsis Filmmakers Joan Grossman and Paul Rosdy offer a compelling account of the mass exodus to Shanghai, China that found over 20,000 desperate European Jews seeking refuge from German forces between the years of 1938 and 1941. As borders across the globe tragically closed their doors to those seeking a safe-haven from Hitler's murderous henchmen, Shanghai offered a much-needed safe haven to those who were willing and able to make the perilous voyage. In this documentary, the recollections of former Jewish refugees Fred Fields, Ernest Heppner, Illo Heppner, and Siegmar Simon combine with a variety of archival materials including rare home movies, photographs, and newsreels to paint a inspiring portrait of survival, and tell a touching tale of brotherhood and humanity in the face of certain destruction. |