Picture From Auschwitz: Why the Holocaust Memorial Is Launching a Virtual Film Location

by

In making “Schindler’s List,” Steven Spielberg was prohibited from shooting within the notorious German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is a restriction that many contemporary film and television producers have encountered when attempting to gain access in recent times.

Spielberg’s team built an exact copy of a part of the Birkenau camp nearby its entrance, while others devised different methods to portray the horrific nature of the camp on film.

80 years post the camp’s liberation, when the number of survivors is dwindling and global visitors are increasing, there’s a novel, digital approach for content creators to guide audiences through it. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, and film industry partners from Europe are disclosing information about Picture From Auschwitz, described as “the most extensive digitally verified historical site of Auschwitz-Birkenau as a virtual film location,” at the Marché du Film in Cannes on Thursday.

For approximately four decades, the memorial site has been largely inaccessible for filming movies,” Wojciech Soczewica, CEO of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, clarifies to THR. “Documentaries can be filmed here because they’re less intrusive and don’t pose a significant threat to the original pathways, structures, steps, or personal items belonging to victims and survivors.

He explains: “The restrictions exist because it is a genuine location, serving as a testament to unspeakable atrocities that are hard to fathom today. This concentration and extermination camp was established with the intention of targeting European Jews, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, Roma and Sinti, among others.

The primary purpose for utilizing cutting-edge technology is to disseminate essential information for film projects, grant access to historical sites, safeguard their physical remnants, and thus maintain the integrity of these original locations, as expressed by Soczewica.

3D Images Captured from Auschwitz Utilize Advanced Scanning Technologies, as Led by Expert Maciej Żemojcin’s Team. This Authentic Digital Reproduction Provides Filmmakers with a Groundbreaking Tool, Enriched in Precision and Ethical Narrative, Serving to Counteract Denial and Misrepresentation, Especially Amidst the Spread of False Information. Suitable for Various Film Projects – Ranging from Documentaries to Major Hollywood Productions – Picture From Auschwitz Aids in Sharing the Camp’s True History.

OR

The 3D Snapshots Taken at Auschwitz Leverage Cutting-Edge Scanning Technologies, Led by Maciej Żemojcin’s Skilled Team. This Certified Digital Duplicate Empowers Filmmakers with a Pioneering Tool Infused with Accuracy and Ethical Storytelling, Helping Combat Lies and Distortion, Particularly in Light of the Rampant Spread of Misinformation. Adaptable for Multiple Film Genres – From Documentaries to Blockbuster Hollywood Movies – Picture From Auschwitz Facilitates the Recounting of the Camp’s Actual History.

Distinguished Polish director Agnieszka Holland is set to participate in the Cannes event virtually, while Ryszard Horowitz, a renowned photo artist and Auschwitz survivor who was on Oskar Schindler’s list and made an appearance as a mourner in the film (and designed the poster for the 1995 Cannes festival), will take part in a panel discussion led by Soczewica. They will also be joined by Żemojcin, a specialist in virtual production and AI films who was one of the founders of Picture from Auschwitz, Paweł Sawicki, deputy spokesperson for the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, and Kristen Davis, an expert on ethical tech use cases and strategic lead on the virtual film location project.

The technical group has finished constructing a 1:1 digital replica of Auschwitz I, now accessible to filmmakers starting this week. Previews from the trial run of “Film from Auschwitz” are being displayed at this year’s festival in Palais des Festivals. Future plans include finalizing the digital recreations of Auschwitz I’s interior and exterior spaces, as well as those of Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp.

The licensing fees will be used to uphold the Memorial, thereby aiding its international purpose of honoring all victims, combatting antisemitism and various types of prejudice, and encouraging contemplation on our current ethical obligations. This is according to the collaborators’ statement.

Filmmakers who obtain the data will receive a genuine digital replica, emphasizing that this guarantees an authentic representation of the site. Every aspect of the space, from the “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate to individual fence posts, buildings with every brick or roof tile, is being carefully recorded in detail. This provides perspectives and reveals hidden details that are not visible to the unaided eye.

Żemojcin shares with THR that “with this data now at our disposal together with the foundation, we are confident that it will likely be reanalyzed or reprocessed by technology that hasn’t been invented yet, perhaps in a century or beyond.

Despite employing cutting-edge technology, this project has necessitated a great deal of patience, as Żemojcin clarifies. He began working on the project about three years ago, and he shares an anecdote that illustrates its immediate importance. Specifically, he talks about how they meticulously scanned what is known as the birch alley near the camp. The trees in question are quite old, with a lifespan similar to humans, and were planted during the Nazi occupation. Just one week after they had finished scanning these trees, they were cut down. Now we have a digital record of those trees along with all associated data, as Żemojcin emphasizes.

Survivor Horowitz expresses his strong support for preserving the Auschwitz site for future generations. “I want this place to endure as long as possible,” he says to THR. “I’ve been there twice in my life: once, as a five-year-old prisoner, and later in the ’70s when I returned to Poland after leaving New York. I brought along my cherished art professor, and we chose to explore the camp together. Reliving those circumstances was deeply distressing for me. Personally, I don’t feel the need or desire to revisit the camp again, but I believe it’s crucial that the current generation, as well as skeptics who question its existence or deny the events, should have a more direct encounter with the camp.

Horowitz expresses his hope that the virtual nature of our current situation won’t bother or unsettle anyone, since it may seem different from what usually takes place at the actual location.

Holland (Green Border, Europa, Europa, In Darkness) agrees with THR that she employed technology used in creating images from Auschwitz in Green Border, and also mentioned some TV series like House of Cards. She explained this by saying: “I prefer to use real locations when I can, but I understand that sometimes it’s more convenient to use such technology. I am optimistic about technological advancements in filmmaking as they generally broaden the scope of storytelling and reduce costs if possible. Sometimes, directors build camps, which is feasible for Steven Spielberg, but not always for others.

Previously, she reached out to Auschwitz to inquire about filming there. Reflecting on that time, she mentions, “In the end, I decided against making the film.” The proposal involved a large portion of the narrative taking place at Auschwitz, but unfortunately, they did not grant permission for the shoot.

Holland has no intentions of revisiting that particular film project. She expressed, “I’ve completed three films about the Holocaust, and I believe my contribution is now complete.” However, she remains intrigued to see how the upcoming generation will approach this narrative. Jonathan Glazer recently created a film called “The Zone of Interest“, offering a fresh perspective on the story. Thus, she thinks there are limitless opportunities for telling these stories again.

She underscores that these stories are increasingly relevant and necessary in today’s context. As she explains to THR, “The lessons learned from the Holocaust, World War II, and Nazism served as a sort of immunization for Europe, particularly against totalitarian, nationalistic, and racist tendencies. This immunity was effective for a long time and contributed significantly to the creation of the European Union. However, I believe that this immunity is weakening now, and we find ourselves caught in a vicious cycle. We need a fresh dose, a renewal of the immunization.

Read More

2025-05-14 12:25