View source for Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah

{{Short description|2015 documentary short film by Adam Benzine}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
| image          = Claude Lanzmann Spectres of the Shoah poster.png
| alt            =
| caption     = Film poster
| director       = [[Adam Benzine]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* Adam Benzine
* Kimberley Warner
}}
| starring       = [[Claude Lanzmann]]
| music          = [[Joel Goodman]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nhnj5sHtpW-yd61UnL799g5AxFmddh7x0 Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Joel Goodman-Topic on YouTube]</ref><br>Benjamin Krause
| cinematography = Alex Ordanis
| editing        = Tiffany Beaudin
| studio         = Jet Black Iris America<br>
[[ZDF]] / [[DR (broadcaster)|DR]]
| distributor    = [[Home Box Office|HBO]] (US)
| released       = {{Film date|2015|04|25|[[Hot Docs]]|2016|05|02|[[HBO]]}}
| runtime        = 40 minutes
| country        = Canada<br>United States<br>United Kingdom<br>Germany
| language       = French<br>English<br>German
}}
'''''Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah''''' is a 2015 [[documentary]]-[[short film]] exploring the life and work of French director [[Claude Lanzmann]]. The film was written, directed, and produced by British filmmaker and journalist [[Adam Benzine]].
==Production background==
The documentary explores the 12-year journey undertaken by Lanzmann to make his 1985 film ''[[Shoah (film)|Shoah]]'', a nine-and-a-half-hour-long documentary about [[the Holocaust]]. In ''Spectres of the Shoah'', Lanzmann details the practical and emotional challenges he faced from 1973 to 1985, explaining his efforts to convince traumatized [[death camp]] survivors to recount their [[Second World War]] experiences; the dangers he faced in tracking down and secretly filming [[Schutzstaffel|SS Officers]] illegally; his own teenage years spent fighting in the [[French Resistance]]; his romance with [[Simone de Beauvoir]] and friendship with [[Jean-Paul Sartre]]; as well as his difficulties in composing into a single cohesive narrative more than 200 hours of material he collected.<ref name="Knellman"/>
In making the short documentary, Benzine and his team worked with the [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]] to secure a wide range of previously unseen outtake material, which was originally filmed during the making of ''[[Shoah (film)|Shoah]]'', in order to help tell Lanzmann's personal story.<ref name="Knellman">{{cite news |last1=Knellman |first1=Martin |title=The man behind Shoah gets his close-up |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2015/04/28/the-man-behind-shoah-gets-his-close-up.html |accessdate=15 June 2015 |publisher=The Toronto Star |date=28 April 2015}}</ref>
==Release==
''Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah'' had its world premiere on April 25, 2015, almost 30 years to the day that ''[[Shoah (film)|Shoah]]'' was released,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Bob|title=EPIC FILM ON THE HOLOCAUST WAS FILMMAKER'S OBSESSION (AP)|url=https://apnews.com/ea4983a98300baf261afa79664105840|accessdate=16 June 2015|work=Associated Press News|publisher=Associated Press|date=3 June 1986}}</ref> at the [[Hot Docs]] film festival in Toronto, Canada,<ref>{{cite web|title=Hot Docs schedule - Lanzmann|url=http://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=38238~446634ba-e848-4237-9b3c-72aceddb5263&|website=Hot Docs|accessdate=15 June 2015}}</ref> where it won an Honourable Mention in the Best Mid-Length Documentary Competition.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Punter|first1=Jennie|title=Hot Docs award winners - Variety|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/the-closer-we-get-hot-docs-1201485978/|accessdate=15 June 2015|publisher=Variety|date=1 May 2015}}</ref>
During the festival, U.S. premium cable network [[HBO]] acquired the American TV rights to the film.<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter">{{cite news|last1=Vlessing|first1=Etan|title=HBO Picks Up Doc About 'Shoah' Director Claude Lanzmann (Exclusive)|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hot-docs-hbo-picks-up-792361|accessdate=15 June 2015|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=29 April 2015}}</ref> [[Sheffield Doc/Fest]] hosted the European Premiere of the film in June 2015,<ref>{{cite web|title=Sheffield Doc/Fest - Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah|url=https://sheffdocfest.com/films/5890|website=Sheffield Doc/Fest|accessdate=15 June 2015}}</ref> and the [[San Francisco Jewish Film Festival]] hosted the U.S. festival premiere for the film on July 28, at the [[Castro Theater]] in [[San Francisco]].<ref>{{cite web|title=San Francisco Jewish Film Festival - Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah|url=http://sfjff.org/2015/films/claude-lanzmann-spectres-of-the-shoah/|website=San Francisco Jewish Film Festival|accessdate=27 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116142102/http://sfjff.org/2015/films/claude-lanzmann-spectres-of-the-shoah/|archive-date=16 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The film continued its festival run throughout the fall of 2015 with its London premiere at the [[UK Jewish Film Festival]], and international screenings at the [[Camden International Film Festival]], the [[Hamptons International Film Festival]], the [[Vienna International Film Festival]], the [[Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival]], the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, [[DOC NYC]] in New York, and [[International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam|IDFA]] in Amsterdam.
Franco-German broadcaster [[Arte|ARTE]] broadcast the doc on January 27, 2016, as did the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s [[Documentary Channel (Canada)|Documentary Channel]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah - documentary Channel|url=http://www.cbc.ca/documentarychannel/docs/claude-lanzmann-spectres-of-the-shoah|website=Documentary Channel|publisher=CBC|accessdate=25 July 2016}}</ref> in Canada and [[Sveriges Television|SVT]] in Sweden, while [[Home Box Office|HBO]] broadcast the U.S. premiere of the film on May 2 of the same year.<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter"/> Danish broadcaster [[DR (broadcaster)|DR]], which along with [[ZDF]]/ARTE was an early investor in the film, will broadcast it in 2017.
''Claude Lanzmann'' was the first motion picture to be released as a [[non-fungible token]] (NFT) on March 15, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ravindran|first=Manori|date=2021-03-15|title=NFT Craze Enters Film World: 'Claude Lanzmann' Documentary is First Oscar Nominee to Be Released as Digital Token (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/global/nft-movies-first-film-sale-claude-lanzmann-documentary-1234930343/|access-date=2021-03-15|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> Ten 'first edition' tokens were offered for auction via the [[blockchain]] auction site Rarible.
==Reception==
The film has met with widespread critical acclaim as it has played at film festivals, theatrically and on television. The ''[[Toronto Star]]'' described the film as "a stunning revelation to both people who have seen ''Shoah'' and people who have not" in its [[Hot Docs]] review,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Knelman|first1=Martin|title=The man behind Shoah gets his close-up|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2015/04/28/the-man-behind-shoah-gets-his-close-up.html|accessdate=4 November 2015|publisher=Toronto Star|date=28 April 2015}}</ref> while the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' described it as "fascinating."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hertz|first1=Leba|title=Jewish Film Festival — 18 days, 4 venues, lots of history|url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Jewish-Film-Festival-18-days-4-venues-lots-6387559.php|accessdate=4 November 2015|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|date=19 July 2015}}</ref> In a four-star review, ''[[Now (newspaper)|NOW]]'' billed the film as "an essential supplement to one of the most important documentaries ever made,"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wilner|first1=Norman|title=>>> LANZMANN - NOW Toronto Magazine - Review ****|url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/hot-docs-2015/lanzmann/|accessdate=4 November 2015|publisher=NOW Magazine|date=22 April 2015}}</ref> while ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' rated the doc 3.5 out of 4, saying it was both "fascinating and upsetting."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lederman|first1=Marsha|title=Hot Docs 2015: What documentaries should you see at this year's fest?|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/hot-docs-2015-what-documentaries-should-you-see-at-this-years-fest/article23733711/|accessdate=4 November 2015|publisher=The Globe and Mail|date=17 April 2015}}</ref>
==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Award / Event
! Date of ceremony
! Category
! Result
|-
| [[88th Academy Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|title=2015 Oscar Nominees|work=[[Academy Award]]|url=http://oscar.go.com/nominees/documentary-short/claude-lanzmann-spectres-of-the-shoah|date=16 January 2016}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MbA_q5yTeA "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" winning Best Documentary Short - Oscars on YouTube]</ref>
| [[88th Academy Awards|28 February 2016]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)|Best Documentary Short Subject]]
| {{nominated}}
|-
|rowspan="2" |38th [[Banff World Media Festival#The Rockie Awards|Rockie Awards]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Canadians head to Rockie Awards with 40 noms|url=http://playbackonline.ca/2017/05/09/canadians-head-to-rockie-awards-with-40-noms/|work=[[Playback (magazine)|Playback]]|date=9 May 2017|author=Regan Reid}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |12 June 2017
| Best History & Biography Program
| {{nominated}}
|-
| Best Francophone Program
| {{nominated}}
|-
|rowspan="4" |2017 [[Canadian Screen Awards]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Canadian Screen Award Documentary Nominees |url=http://povmagazine.com/blog/view/canadian-screen-award-documentary-nominees|work=[[Point of View (magazine)|Point of View]]|date=17 January 2017|author=Pat Mullen}}</ref>
| rowspan="4" |7 March 2017
| Best Direction in a Documentary Program
| {{nominated}}
|-
| Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Program or Series
| {{nominated}}
|-
| Best Original Music for a Non-Fiction Program or Series
| {{nominated}}
|-
| Barbara Sears Award for Best Visual Research
| {{nominated}}
|-
| 2016 [[Canadian Cinema Editors]] Awards<ref>{{cite web|title=CFC ALUMNI CELEBRATED AT 2016 CCE AWARDS|url=http://cfccreates.com/news/643-cfc-alumni-celebrated-at-2016-cce-awards|work=[[Canadian Cinema Editors]]}}</ref>
| 2 June 2016
| Best Editing in Documentary - Short Form
| {{won}}
|-
| 9th [[Cinema Eye Honors]]<ref>{{cite web|title='Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah' nominated for Outstanding Short|url=http://www.cinemaeyehonors.com/archives/eligible-films/claude-lanzmann-spectres-of-the-shoah|work=[[Cinema Eye Honors]]|access-date=2016-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804013748/http://www.cinemaeyehonors.com/archives/eligible-films/claude-lanzmann-spectres-of-the-shoah|archive-date=2016-08-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 13 January 2016
| Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking
| {{nominated}}
|-
| 44th [[Grierson Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Grierson Awards - Nominees 2016|url=http://www.griersontrust.org/grierson-awards/the-grierson-awards/nominations/|work=[[The Grierson Trust]]|access-date=2016-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922202641/http://www.griersontrust.org/grierson-awards/the-grierson-awards/nominations/|archive-date=2016-09-22|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 7 November 2016
| Best Newcomer Documentary
| {{nominated}}
|-
| 22nd [[Hot Docs]] Film Festival<ref>{{cite web|title=Hot Docs 2015 Award Winners |url=http://www.hotdocs.ca/archive/awards-2015 |work=[[Hot Docs]] 2015 |accessdate=1 May 2015 |date=1 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019003548/http://www.hotdocs.ca/archive/awards-2015 |archivedate=19 October 2015 }}</ref>
| 1 May 2015
| Best Mid-Length Documentary Competition
| {{yes|Honourable Mention}}
|-
| 31st [[International Documentary Association#IDA Documentary Awards|IDA Documentary Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|title=31st Annual IDA Documentary Awards Nominees & Winners|url=http://www.documentary.org/awards2015|work=[[International Documentary Association#IDA Documentary Awards]]|accessdate=5 December 2015|date=5 December 2015}}</ref>
| 5 December 2015
| Best Documentary Short Film
| {{nominated}}
|-
| 14th [[Warsaw Jewish Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite news|title=THE 2016 CAMERA OF DAVID AWARDS|url=http://www.wjff.pl/en/2016/awards/david-camera|work=[[Warsaw Jewish Film Festival]]|accessdate=28 November 2016|date=28 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923071205/http://www.wjff.pl/en/2016/awards/david-camera|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 27 November 2016
| Best Short Documentary
| {{won}}
|-
| 11th [[Los Angeles Italia Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Los Angeles Italia Fest to Honor Lady Gaga, Diane Warren|author=Ariston Anderson|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/6882845/los-angeles-italia-fest-to-honor-lady-gaga-diane-warren-oscars-hunting-ground-til-it-happens-to-you|work=Los Angeles Italia film Festival|accessdate=21 February 2016|date=21 February 2016}}</ref>
| 21 February 2016
| Best Short Film of the Year
| {{won}}
|-
| 18th [[Thessaloniki Documentary Festival]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Thessaloniki, SXSW award doc prizes|author=Manori Ravindran|url=http://realscreen.com/2016/03/21/thessaloniki-sxsw-award-doc-prizes/ |accessdate=21 March 2016|date=21 March 2016}}</ref>
| 20 March 2016
| Audience Award for Best International Short Documentary
| {{won}}
|-
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{IMDb title|4815426}}
*[https://www.facebook.com/LanzmannFilm The documentary's Facebook page]
*[https://www.twitter.com/LanzmannFilm The documentary's Twitter page]
[[Category:2015 films]]
[[Category:2015 short documentary films]]
[[Category:2010s French-language films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about the Holocaust]]
[[Category:Documentary films about World War II]]
[[Category:Documentary films about film directors and producers]]