52 | JUNE 9 • 2022
A
bout six months after its pre-
miere, Shoah Ambassadors,
the Holocaust documentary
film directed and produced by Keith
Famie, is still in the film festival circuit
nationally and being shown to organi-
zations and universities to widen the
reach of the film.
The film was nominated for four
Michigan Emmys. Famie and his
Visionalist Entertainment Productions
crew are nominated for the documen-
tary as a whole, its directing, editing
and lighting. The award ceremony
takes place June 11.
Famie says it’s exciting that the
Michigan Emmy committee viewed
the film as important enough to gar-
ner four nominations.
“It feels good to be recognized for
something you know is important
work with an important, powerful
message,
” Famie said.
The film is a new take on telling the
Holocaust story focused on educating
youth about the horrors and atrocities
of the genocide through ambassadors
Curtis Bates, a singer-songwriter
from Detroit, and Hailey Callahan of
Rochester, an artist/sculpturist and
graduate from Detroit-based College
of Creative Studies (CCS), who tell the
story through their own unique artis-
tic expression.
Callahan’s artistic medium inspired
her to recreate a train car out of
stained glass to tell the story of how
the trains were used to transport Jews
to German death camps. Bates’ musi-
cal medium inspired him to write two
rap songs in the film that help illus-
trate general themes of the Holocaust
and, at the same time, generate inter-
est with the younger generation.
The film made its debut on DPTV/
PBS on Nov. 18, with a second airing
on Dec. 12.
Highlights from the film festival
circuit include being an Official
Selection for the LA Documentary
Film Festival, Miami Jewish Film
Festival, Santa Monica International
Film Festival, Austin Lift-Off Film
Festival and Malibu Film Festival. It
also received an Honorable Mention
from the Tokyo International Short
Film Festival.
In New York City on March 20,
Filmmaker Keith
Famie’s fi
lm is
connecting with
audiences and
students.
Filmmaker Keith
Filmmaker Keith
Shoah Ambassadors
Nominated for Four
Michigan Emmys
DANNY SCHWARTZ
STAFF WRITER
ARTS&LIFE
FILM
Director Keith Famie (center),
Holocaust survivor Rene Lichtman (right)
and directors of the SR Socially Relevant
Film Festival New York (left)
Shoah Ambassadors was honored with the
award of Jury Special Mention at the SR
Socially Relevant Film Festival New York.
A still from the documentary of
Holocaust survivor Irene Miller and
ambassador Hailey Callahan
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEITH FAMIE