The House on Wannsee Street
| The House on Wannsee Street | |
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 Film poster | |
| Spanish | La casa de Wannsee |
| Directed by | Poli Martínez Kaplun |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by |
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| Music by | César Lerner |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
The House on Wannsee Street (Spanish: La casa de Wannsee) is an Argentine documentary film written and directed by Poli Martínez Kaplun. It premiered on August 1, 2019, in Buenos Aires.[1]
Synopsis
[edit]After her son decides to celebrate his Bar mitzvah, filmmaker Poli Martínez Kaplun starts digging into the history of her ancestors, German Jews who were forced to go into exile in order to escape Nazism.[2] This search takes her on a journey to Europe. On the outskirts of Berlin, she visits the house that used to belong to her great-grandfather, philosopher and psychologist Otto Lipmann.[3] Through photographs, documents and interviews with family members, Martínez Kaplun rebuilds her family's history and reflects on issues such as discrimination, identity and memory.[4]
Critical response
[edit]Paula Vázquez Prieto, film critic for the Argentine newspaper La Nación, gave the film a positive review, observing that "[...] the journey of The House on Wannsee Street transcends the intimate and adopts the political as its mark [...] Martínez Kaplun is able to deconstruct memory beyond the testimonial, and her strategy is to bring about encounters in places where matters seemed to have been settled."[5]
In the Argentine newspaper Clarín, film critic Gaspar Zimmerman wrote, "With the help of extraordinary photographs and footage from her own archive, Martínez Kaplun rebuilds her family's pilgrimage, which began in Nazi Germany."[6]
Marina Biondi, film critic for La Butaca Web, wrote that "The documentary moves, impacts and invites viewers to want to know more about their own histories, since it shows that nothing is casual and we are all, in part, consequence of inherited experiences and events."[7]
The website Jewish Film Review considered the documentary "very highly recommended," stating that "Martínez is a particularly deft storyteller and her story is captivating."[8]
Festivals and awards
[edit]The documentary had its international premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival,[9] where it was presented as part of the Festival's Spotlight on Ibero-American Cinema and awarded the Audience Award for Best Documentary.[10] It was also screened at the 26th San Diego Latino Film Festival,[11] and at Dok Fest München 2020.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Poli Martínez Kaplun presenta su segunda película, "La casa de Wannsee"" (in Spanish). Infobae. July 24, 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "HOUSE ON WANNSEE STREET". Miami Jewish Festival. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "The House on Wannsee Street". Jewish Film Review. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ ""La casa de Wannsee", un film sobre la discriminación y la búsqueda de identidad". Télam (in Spanish). August 1, 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Vázquez Prieto, Paula (August 1, 2019). "La casa de Wannsee: recuperar el pasado con rigor". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Zimmerman, Gaspar. "Poli Martínez Kaplun: Una indagación sobre el judaísmo y la discriminación". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Biondi, Marina (July 23, 2019). "Crítica: La casa de Wannsee". La Butaca Web (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "The House on Wannsee Street". Jewish Film Review. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "HOUSE ON WANNSEE STREET". Miami Jewish Festival. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "2020 MJFF AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED". Miami Jewish Film Festival. January 24, 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "LA CASA DE WANNSEE". San Diego Latino Film Festival. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "LA CASA DE WANNSEE". DOK.fest München. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
External links
[edit]- The House on Wannsee Street at IMDb
- The House on Wannsee Street at FilmAffinity (in Spanish)