USI to host first Rechnic Holocaust Film Series

The University of Southern Indiana College of Liberal Arts and the USI Foundation are proud to present the first Rechnic Holocaust Film Series at 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 25 in Kleymeyer Hall (LA0101), located on the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center. The series complements the annual Edward D. and Regina Rechnic Holocaust Speaker Series held each fall. 

At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, The Stranger (1946) and Death Mills (1945) will be shown in Kleymeyer Hall. The films will be followed by a short panel including Eileen Angelini, 3GNY - Descendants of Holocaust Survivors: Upstate Regional Coordinator; Alexandra Natoli, USI Assistant Professor of French; and Noley Reid, novelist, comparing the influence/impacts of documentaries vs. feature films from the same period, and fictional representations vs. nonfiction in general. 

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 26, France Divided (2011) and The Forger (2016) will be shown in Kleymeyer Hall. Following the films, Angelini, also Director and Co-producer of La France divisée/France Divided, will present about the process of collecting oral testimonies, identifying proper archival photos and footage, the creation of France Divided and her ongoing film projects. She will also discuss the interplay of her documentary and the illustrated documentary, The Forger, in preserving the history of the Holocaust. Both focus on France during the Nazi occupation. This will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. 

This film series is made possible in part through the USI Foundation through the Edward D. and Regina Rechnic Speaker Series Endowment. The endowment was established by the late Irene C. Rechnic and honors her parents' struggle to survive the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during WWII, where 960,000 Jews were executed.    

For more information, contact Dr. Todd Schroer, Chair of Criminal Justice, at tschroer@usi.edu or visit the website.