Slideshow Image
Date Location Tickets
9:00 PM - SAT 1/11 O CINEMA SOUTH BEACH Rush Line

Florida Premiere

Syndrome K

Directed by Stephen Edwards

USA | 80 minutes | 2019

Italian with English subtitles

Narrated by Golden Globe-nominee Ray Liotta, this fascinating film tells for the first time the true, little-known story of Italian doctors who rescued Jews during the Holocaust by using the conceit of a horrific, highly contagious disease that wasn't real. In the middle of World War II, during the Nazi occupation of Rome, three courageous Italian doctors saved the lives of many Jews by convincing the Nazis that certain Jewish patients in their hospital — located a stone's throw from the Vatican — were infected with a deadly disease they called Syndrome K. But Syndrome K never existed; it was completely fictitious — making it, ironically, the one horrible disease in human history that actually saved lives. This poignant documentary features interviews with survivors and descendants of survivors, including the 98-year-old Adriano Ossicini, the last surviving doctor, and Pietro Borromeo, son of the head doctor at the hospital. With its use of expressionistic reenactments, rare interviews, and archival footage, Syndrome K presents a powerful depiction of courage and sacrifice in the face of Nazi horror.

Director Stephen Edwards will be in attendance to introduce the film and participate in an extended conversation afterward.

Director Stephen Edwards
Countries of Production USA
Year of Presentation 2019
Language(s) Italian with English subtitles
Premiere Status Florida Premiere
Runtime 80 minutes
Principal Cast Ray Liotta, Vittorio Sacerdoti, Pietro Borromeo, Adriano Ossicini
Back to Top