Vishniac

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1 hr. 35 min.

Documentary

Biography

History

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Roman Vishniac is best known for having traversed Eastern Europe from 1935 through 1938, on assignment to photograph Jewish life. Less than a decade later these communities would be wiped out and Vishniac's iconic photographs would provide the last visual records of an entire world. Through his photographs, we see Jewish life -- in Eastern European shtetls and in Weimar-era Berlin -- and witness the Nazi rise to power. After the war, his documentation continued with photographs of Berlin in ruins and Jewish children in Displaced Persons camps. Vishniac was also a respected scientist who made considerable contributions in the field of microscopic photography. His "Living Biology" series, funded by the National Science Foundation, were some of the first films depicting life through a microscope and became a staple in the 1960s and 1970s in classrooms across the United States. His pioneering microscopy transformed the nature of science photography. VISHNIAC delves into the person and story behind the photos as it frames Vishniac's legacy as a key modernist photographer and preserver of memory. Through his stunning images, VISHNIAC introduces new audiences to a lost world that is quickly fading from our grasp.

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Gene L

Excellent documentary. Must see!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

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Laura Bialis

Director

Bradley Brennan

Young Roman

July Hodara

Luta Vishniac

Sophie Sartain

Writer

Laura Bialis

Producer

Roberta Grossman

Producer

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20 Days in Mariupol

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Vishniac: Trailer 1

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Leonard Maltin

leonardmaltin.com

‘Vishniac’ is a perfect marriage of subject and storyteller. Thank goodness Laura Bialis was able to interview Vishniac’s daughter Mara, who passed away in 2018, and accumulate all the background materials that make this film so vividly true

Jan 22, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

The horror is offscreen yet inescapable...

Feb 2, 2024

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Jeanne Kaplan

Kaplan vs. Kaplan

Bialis has done a masterful job bringing Vishniac’s magic and passions to the big screen, which was her sincerest hope.

Jan 23, 2024

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David Kaplan

Kaplan vs. Kaplan

VISHNIAC represents a small piece of history, but certainly a fascinating one.

Jan 23, 2024

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Nora Lee Mandel

Maven's Nest

Bialis reveals his and his family’s lives behind iconic photographs from her access over three years to the complete Vishniac archive of over 23,000 items. She also well illustrates times and places with other apt archival footage and visual context.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 19, 2024

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Thanks to this film, books and other museum exhibits in existence, Roman Vishniac's legacy will live on for years to come.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 19, 2024

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Synopsis

Roman Vishniac is best known for having traversed Eastern Europe from 1935 through 1938, on assignment to photograph Jewish life. Less than a decade later these communities would be wiped out and Vishniac's iconic photographs would provide the last visual records of an entire world. Through his photographs, we see Jewish life -- in Eastern European shtetls and in Weimar-era Berlin -- and witness the Nazi rise to power. After the war, his documentation continued with photographs of Berlin in ruins and Jewish children in Displaced Persons camps. Vishniac was also a respected scientist who made considerable contributions in the field of microscopic photography. His "Living Biology" series, funded by the National Science Foundation, were some of the first films depicting life through a microscope and became a staple in the 1960s and 1970s in classrooms across the United States. His pioneering microscopy transformed the nature of science photography. VISHNIAC delves into the person and story behind the photos as it frames Vishniac's legacy as a key modernist photographer and preserver of memory. Through his stunning images, VISHNIAC introduces new audiences to a lost world that is quickly fading from our grasp.

Director: Laura Bialis
Executive Producer: Mirit Eisen, Ori Eisen, Nancy Spielberg
Screenwriter: Sophie Sartain
Distributor: Abramorama
Production Co: Katahdin Productions
Genre: Documentary, Biography, History
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 19, 2024, Limited