Monument

Southeast US Premiere

Filmmaker Michael Turner brings us on a deeply personal journey as he documents his first visit to a memorial dedicated to his family members who perished at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. The memorial was created by his grandmother, a Hungarian Jew, in memory of her beloved parents and sister, as a powerful reminder of the enduring and heartbreaking legacy of the Holocaust. Monument seamlessly weaves together an intimate family story with ongoing discussions examining memory preservation through monuments and memorials, as well as the dissemination of history in public spaces. As Michael and his camera travel from Budapest into the Hungarian countryside, retracing his grandmother's roots and the Jewish community's tenuous existence, they reveal a Jewish population living in a delicate balance between hiding and survival. Through visits to basement archives and makeshift synagogues, we’re introduced to Hungarians from diverse faiths and backgrounds who are dedicated to safeguarding this cultural memory. The result is a profoundly moving and poetic account of a familial bond and shared commitment to preserving their collective memory.

Accompanying the film premiere is a discussion with director Michael Turner. To view the conversation please click here.