Community members who missed the State College premiere of a film produced by three Penn State faculty members have a chance to view this award-winning documentary from their own couches.
Judy Maltz, Barbara Bird and Richie Sherman have been hitting the film festival circuit with their documentary "No. 4 Street of Our Lady," and Friday, it will air for the first time on WPSU.
"We never imagined when we started off that so many people would get to see it," said Maltz, a senior lecturer in the Department of Journalism.
The film is about a Polish-Catholic woman named Francisca Halamajowa who saved 16 of her Jewish neighbors while passing herself off as a Nazi sympathizer.
A diary kept by Maltz's grandfather, Moshe Maltz, was the starting point of the documentary and led the filmmakers to Israel, Ukraine and locations around the United States. The film incorporated entries from the diary with interviews with three survivors, memories from family members and multiple location shots.
After the film's sold-out premiere in March at the State Theatre, it has received international recognition. In June, the filmmakers received the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award.
Sherman, assistant professor in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, said the three have been traveling to different film festivals almost every other weekend. One will be held in China in less than a month.
The filmmakers agree the success of the film can be attributed to the unique story it tells.
"It's a show that's a little unusual for Holocaust films," Bird said. "Most of them lived, and they didn't have to live through the horrors of concentration camps. That makes it different."
Sherman said what makes this film so successful is how it touches the audience.
"The viewers can see that the people involved, survivors and participants, were regular people." He said. "On the surface, there was nothing extraordinary."
The film takes the audience members through the events in chronological order. Sherman said this method allows the viewers to make a connection with the people on the screen.
"As surprises begin to open up later in the film, there seems to be an emotional reaction from the audience," he said.
The filmmakers said tonight's airing on WPSU is the first step for the future of the film. After the festival circuit, they hope to pursue an educational route, promoting the film in classrooms.
"It's a great way of learning about that period and what happened," Maltz said.
The experience of making this film has added a whole new dimension to Maltz's life. It's been a dream come true, she said.
"I got to tell a great story that I always thought was great," she said. "And apparently, thousands of people agree."
