March of the Living (Marcha da Vida)

Year: 2010
Country: USA, BRAZIL
Run Time: 76 minutes

The March of the Living is an international educational program that brings Jewish teens from all over the world to Poland on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. There, they march the three kilometers from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex built during World War II. After visiting these somber sites of remembrance, the group moves on to Jerusalem to celebrate the anniversary of Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence Day. MARCH OF THE LIVING tells the story of the last generation of Holocaust survivors as they travel to Poland with teenagers from California, Brazil, and Germany. The survivors serve as guides on their emotional journey and as the generations confront the enormity of the past together, the elders pass down their memories of the Holocaust to the next generation. The film features striking cinematography of the concentration camps today and examines images and artifacts never before seen. MARCH OF THE LIVING raises questions about Holocaust memory as it relates to genocide today and tomorrow. This shocking experience changes the teens' relationship with their religion and they resolve to lead the Jewish people into the future. (In English, Portuguese, and Polish with subtitles) –B.B.

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