Dawn of the Dorks

An inherited family treasure trove of photos and film footage show her grandfather in the 1940s, with a swastika on the lapel of his jacket in one of the film clips. How does the symbol, which stands for millions of murders, change the view of a loved one? How can photos and film footage, memories and archive material be put together to form a coherent picture?

Annita Malavasi was just 22 when the Germans occupied Italy, their former allies, in 1943. As a partisan in the Italian resistance named “Laila”, she moved throughout the Apennines with and between fighting units, delivering information, transporting weapons, and taking part in battles. She spent over a year in the Apennines, fighting against the German occupation. At the same time, she had to assert herself against the men of the mountain villages. By the end of the war, Laila had risen among the ranks to become one of the few female commanders in the Italian resistance. This film chronicles the story of a lifelong struggle for emancipation that began with the battle for Italy’s liberation from fascism. Laila and her two comrades, Gina “Sonia” Moncigoli and Pierina “Iva” Bonilauri talk about their time in the Resistenza and what it meant to them and many other women.

In 1921, German philosopher Walter Benjamin purchased a painting Angelus Novus by the Swiss-German artist Paul Klee. Benjamin admired it and described it in detail in his essay “Theses on the Philosophy of History.” The picture portrays a restless angel who tasted reality. For a moment the angel freezes as if observing the inevitable turns of history. German director Eric Esser filmed at the Spanish-French border, which used to be a place of smuggling routes. It is across this border Walter Benjamin once escaped from the Nazis too.

Chaja Florentin and Mimi Frons have been best friends for 83 years. Born and raised in Berlin, they had to escape from the Nazis to Palestine with their families in 1934. They talk about their complicated relationship with Berlin in a Tel Aviv café where they meet everyday. A film about friendship, homeland and identity.