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Inside Hana’s Suitcase

Directed by Larry Weinstein

Canada-Czech Republic-Germany | 93 minutes | 2009

English, Czech, Japanese with English subtitles

The delivery of a battered suitcase to Fumiko Ishioka at the Tokyo Holocaust Museum begins the true-life mystery that became the subject of Karen Levine's best-selling book Hana's Suitcase. The suitcase came from the Auschwitz Museum and had Hana Brandy's name painted on it. Larry Weinstein's masterful film follows Fumiko's search to discover the details of Hana's life, which leads to the discovery of her brother George in Toronto. As small children they had been sent to Thereisenstadt for being Jewish after the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939. A superb musical score by Alexina Louie and Alex Pauk, coupled with dramatic reenactments stunningly shot by Horst Zeidler, catches us by the heart to invoke the tragedy of the times. The voices of children from Japan, Canada, and the Czech Republic telling Hana's story are woven around the drama, along with George's memories and Fumiko's quest, to create a film of astonishing power and hope.
Director Larry Weinstein
Countries of Production Canada-Czech Republic-Germany
Year of Presentation 2009
Language(s) English, Czech, Japanese with English subtitles
Premiere Status
Runtime 93 minutes
Principal Cast Jindriska Hanusová, Linda Drexlerova, Daniel Hajek
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