Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Alice Herz-Sommer was the world's oldest pianist -- and the world's oldest Holocaust survivor at 109, when she starred in the Oscar-winning short film The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life.
This 38-minute film tells the story of Alice, whose devotion to music and her son helped her survive a Nazi concentration camp. In the movie, Alice shares her story on how to achieve a long and happy life. She discusses the importance of laughter, music and how to be optimistic. Alice recently died at age 110, just days before the film won the 2014 Academy Award . This incredible movie will be shown this Saturday evening as part of the Haliburton Doc(K) Day at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion. It will follow Watermark which is showing at 7:30 pm.
Director of The Lady in Number 6, Malcolm Clarke, said that the uplifting and positive nature of Alice was what convinced him to tell her story. “When you meet someone like Alice, someone who was pure joy, who was so graceful and gracious, it kind of makes you question everything”. In an interview I heard on CBC with Malcom, he said that we could all learn from Alice’s optimism. "That's a very, very special person that can take something so traumatic and dark and still find the silver lining. She did remind us of something that we all forget; we all take for granted - what a gift we have just to be alive."
As a survivor of the Holocaust, the film about Alice could easily could have been depressing, but Alice is an optimist and her account of her long, extraordinary life is at times thrilling, incredible, cheery and miraculous – anything but depressing. The people who worked on the movie with her were amazed that at 109 she was still able to recall so many historical events and was willing to share her experiences. Malcolm met Alice when she was 107 and they had to move quickly to make the movie because at 107 every day is certainly a gift. They wanted to capture her healthy and spritely and chipper and they did a great job. Alice is amazing. It will inspire and uplift anyone who watches it. Many thanks to all the volunteers who organize Those Other Movies and Doc(k) Day for our county. At the end of a long winter we are in need of some inspiration. Who better to get it from than someone who has lived 109 years!
Other movies playing this weekend at Doc(k) Day include BURT’S BUZZ at 4:00 pm – An entertaining Canadian doc about the highly eccentric founder of Burt’s Bees. WATERMARK shows at 7:30 (followed by The Lady Number 6). - uses stunning photography and is a documentary that shows us what is happening to the water on our planet. Tickets for the shows are sold at the door $8 per show or pay $15 and see it all.
For more information visit: www.haliburton-movies.com