HOLY SILENCE
MASSACHUSETTS PREMIERE
Q&A with Director Steven Pressman and Film Interviewees
The Catholic Church’s response to the rising Nazi threat and the Holocaust is re-examined in this timely, first-of-its-kind exposé from Steven Pressman (50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus). Pope Pius XI was unequivocal in denouncing the anti-Semitism taking hold in 1938 Germany. His successor, however, adopted a starkly different position during wartime. The inaction and complicity of Pius XII in dealing with Nazism remains a source of deep controversy. What more, if anything, might the Church have done to stop Hitler’s Final Solution and intervene on behalf of Europe’s Jews? Holy Silence, which was produced under NCJF’s nonprofit umbrella, examines many of the individuals who played crucial roles in shaping the Vatican’s response, including a humble Jesuit priest from New England, a leading American industrialist dispatched on a mission by President Franklin Roosevelt (voiced by Oscar-nominated actor David Strathairn), and high-ranking officials within the Vatican determined to carry out their own objectives. The post-film discussion will address, among other topics, the March 2020 unsealing of the Vatican’s WWII archives.
Director: Steven Pressman | USA | 2020 | 72m | English & Italian w/ English subtitles
Watch The Trailer
Tuesday, May 5, 7:15 pm
Coolidge Corner Theatre
ON SALE SOON
