Diabolically imaginative and ever interested in the potential applications of film to politics, Nazi propagandists made a fake documentary about life inside the Warsaw Ghetto. While this film will disturb you, you should take time from your busy schedule to see it. It represents a unique historical artifact, the implications of which are only now becoming apparent.

The long and complex history of the film unwinds through its reconstruction, as a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto and a cameraman involved with shooting the film screen the footage together and give their reactions.

Synopsis

At the end of WWII, 60 minutes of raw film, having sat undisturbed in an East German archive, was discovered. Shot by the Nazis in Warsaw in May 1942, and labeled simply "Ghetto," this footage quickly became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record of the Warsaw Ghetto. However, the later discovery of a long-missing reel, inclusive of multiple takes and cameraman staging scenes, complicated earlier readings of the footage.

A FILM UNFINISHED presents the raw footage in its entirety, carefully noting fictionalized sequences (including a staged dinner party) falsely showing "the good life" enjoyed by Jewish urbanites, and probes deep into the making of a now-infamous Nazi propaganda film.

A Film Unfinished has received widespread critical acclaim:

 GRADE: A' “A profound and vital documentary.” — Lisa Schwartzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

'FOUR STARS'  
"A subdued aural-visual symphony.  A brilliant reminder of the importance of bearing witness." — Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York (Critic's Pick)

"A unique cinematic experience.  There's no doubting the profound depths of Hersonski's research, and her brilliant capacity to assemble this material into a coherent narrative." — Eric Kohn, Indiewire