Preview

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Date Location Tickets
4/15 - 4/29 VIRTUAL SCREENING WATCH

World Premiere

Petit Rat

Directed by Vera Wagman

USA | 47 minutes | 2021

English and French with English subtitles

In 1940, a Jewish girl's dream of becoming a ballerina is destroyed by World War II. She vows that if she has daughters, they will become dancers. Nearly 80 years later, she and her two daughters — one of whom is the director of this film — confront the wounding impact of that pledge. Both struggled to fulfill their mother’s expectations, though one daughter became a star, creating a rift with her sister. Each recognized that being the child of a Holocaust survivor meant taking on the mantle and the burden of their mother’s childhood. Executive produced by Roberta Grossman (director/producer of MJFF 2019 Audience Award winner Who Will Write Our History), this moving family documentary is about the intergenerational trauma of war, and how familial love can ultimately heal the wounds that bind.

Accompanying the film premiere is a discussion with director Vera Wagman, film subject Deborah Wagman, and moderator Rabbi Laila Haas. To view the conversation please click here.

Director Vera Wagman
Countries of Production USA
Year of Presentation 2021
Language(s) English and French with English subtitles
Premiere Status World Premiere
Runtime 47 minutes
Principal Cast Fernande Wagman, Vera Wagman
Sponsor(s)

Jacqueline Simkin

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