JUNE 17 • 2021 | 47 “I think they find it refreshing that we’re doing something in a unique way, about a subject that’s been told over and over again, ” Famie said. “I think they look at it feeling hopeful, that maybe we’re doing something that’s going to reach an audience that would not normally be reached or care about it. ” Realizing that Holocaust survi- vors who are still alive are getting up in age, Famie’s biggest goals with the film are sharing their experiences with the younger generation and Holocaust edu- cation. The other main goal is wanting the younger generation to know the value of their voices. “I want them to understand just how powerful and how important their voice is, and how important their future leadership is in any capacity, and to never take it for granted, ” Famie said. “It’s this younger generation that really has the impact to change how we treat each other, how we learn compassion and empathy and understanding of one anoth- er’s cultures and beliefs. ” FIRST REACTIONS When Famie needed an artist and asked Callahan if she would be interested in making a piece for the documentary, Callahan jumped at the opportunity. “It’s been interesting for sure because I’ve never done anything like this, ” Callahan said. “It was definitely interesting meeting the survivors, I was speechless. Learning their stories, going through the museum and walk- ing through seeing everything, it was really heavy. ” When Callahan first visited the HMC, the first thing she saw was the life-size train car in the lobby, which inspired her to make the piece. “The glass butterflies [on the train I created] are symbolic to the lives that were lost but also symbolic of resilience through change, ” Callahan said. “They all go through this awful tran- sition after the Holocaust and they somehow wake up every morning, smile and continue on with their life. The resilience and strength they have is really what inspired my piece. ” Callahan said it took at least 100 hours, and possibly upwards of 150 hours to make the train car. “I hope the younger generation will see my piece, be curious, ask questions, do their own research and have an interest to learn what happened, ” Callahan said. “I hope the documentary as a whole will make some impact because we need to know and remember what happened, honor the lives lost and make sure it doesn’t happen again. ” Callahan took part in the filming at survivor Fred Lessing’s home, which ended up as a short film called Bear and Fred that Famie decided to enter into sev- eral national film festivals to see what would happen. To date, the short film is a recent selection to be featured in the Big Apple Film Festival, a finalist in the Independent Shorts Awards (Los Angeles) and won Best Documentary Short in the Los Angeles Movie Awards. The short film tells the story of a teddy bear that accompa- nied Lessing in his wanderings from one hiding place to anoth- er during World War II, and became a symbol after being loaned to Yad Vashem in 1996 as part of an exhibition called “No Child’s Play.” The story is also the subject of a children’s book released in May 2020, titled “Bear and Fred: A World War II Story.” Lessing’s hopes for the film as a whole align with Famie’s hopes. NEW GENERATION “I would hope [Famie’s] goal is to address and give this information from Holocaust survivors to a new generation, ” Lessing said. “The actual survivors like myself are getting very old and most of them are dying off. “I don’t know how it will be for the young generation, but since they’re listening to new genera- tion people asking the questions and getting the answers, maybe it will work. I hope it will speak to them. ” While seeing antisemitism on the rise across the board, Lessing would like Holocaust education to continue gaining steam. “We need to understand what happened in the past in order to go into the future,” Lessing said. “What’s encouraging is that racism in this country is finally being talked about and argued about. It’s not just hidden as it has been. If you don’t under- stand and know what happened in the past, it’s going to happen again.” Singer-songwriter Curtis Bates has written two songs for the film, one about what he learned from the HMC tour called “Stolen Dreams, ” and one con- cept song that came about from a conversation with one of the sur- vivors involved in the film, Rene Lichtman, called “Never Again. ” Bates’ role in the film bridges a mutual understanding of the adversities experienced as an American Black male with the marginalized survivors, where both experienced and continue to experience racial and religious discrimination. “I do see similarities in the adversities we face and they face, ” Bates said. “Being discriminated against due to things that should be basic human rights like race and religion, they’re definitely similar. ” Bates said he learned a lot from spending time with Lichtman, with the one thing that stuck out to him most being to “always question and challenge authority. ” Lichtman was immediately attracted to participating in the film as it went right along with continued on page 48 COURTESY OF KEITH FAMIE Director Keith Famie and artist Hailey Callahan, 23, with her train car proudly in hand, pose together at the end of a night of filming.