Auschwitz, the First Testimonies
Emil Weiss
2010 - 77 min - HDCam - Couleur - France

This film presents four testimonies describing how the Auschwitz concentration complex worked and how the victims passed through the destruction process implemented on the different sites.
Dr. Klein’s testimony relates to Auschwitz I, the concentration camp, and to the Rajsko biomedical research laboratories; those of Suzanne Birnbaum and Dr. Robert Lévy describe Auschwitz II Birkenau, the concentration camp and above all the extermination camp; and the testimony of Dr. Robert Waitz concerns Auschwitz III Monowitz, the camp that provided labour for the “Buna” factory owned by the largest German petrochemical group IG Farben. Together they encompass the four activities which converged to determine the specific nature of Auschwitz: concentration, extermination, industry and science. These documents were written during the days following their authors’ return from captivity.
The immediacy between the events experienced and their relation makes the testimonies completely unique, bringing us close to the reality of Auschwitz and to the people who did not survive there. The choice in making this film was precisely the complete absence from the screen of any human beings.