Main programme  

Hitler’s Children is a film about the descendants of the most powerful figures in the Nazi regime: men and women who were left a legacy that permanently associates them with one of the greatest crimes in history. Their family names alone evoke horror: Himmler, Frank, Goering, Hoess. What is it like for them to have grown up with a name that immediately raises images of murder and genocide? For more then sixty years, they have lived in the shadows, trying to rebuild their lives without the constant reminders of what their fathers’ and grandfathers’ once did. Only now are they ready to bare the scars that their legacy has left them. In this film they discuss the delicate balance they have reached as they negotiate between the natural admiration that children have toward their parents and their innate revulsion of their parents’ crimes. How can they protect their families, even as they pass their name down to future generations? And how do they relate to the other side, the victims for whom their very names stir memories of revulsion and terror that cannot be repressed? We witness their meeting, many years later, despite all the hurdles. We are there as they glare accusingly at each other, pour their hearts out, and conclude that the time has come for them to finally move on.

Chanoch Zeevi

Chanoch Zeevi is a director and producer of documentary films for the television and documentary film industries. In fifteen years of filmmaking, he has addressed issues of conflict, reconciliation, and the social and political circumstances that define identity. His films are intended to forge paths and build bridges between opposing groups and cultures. He is a founder and owner of Maya Productions, an Israeli production company that specialises in documentary films for local and foreign audiences. Many of the company’s projects have been collaborative efforts with television stations in Israel, the United States, and Europe.

Filmography

The Disappearance of Martin Bormann (1998)
On the Frontline (2001)
Holocaust: The Next Generation (2003)