The Port of Last Resort

The migration of 18.000 Central European Jewish refugees to Shanghai, China, in the years leading up to World War II is perhaps the most remarkable exodus of this era. At a time when borders around the world were closed to the victims of Germany's Third Reich, Shanghai was an international territory that required no visa for entry. The Jewish refugees came to Shanghai in search of temporary refuge, but most would stay a decade. Despite greate deprivation, the refugees created a lively community and survived the Holocaust in a ghetto under Japanese control. The Port of Last Resort is a documentary film about the Jewish refugee community in Shanghai. This largely unknown story unfolds through interviews, as well as letters, memoir experts, and refugee newspaper writings. Rare archival film and photographs, much of which has been uncovered for the first time, create a vivid portrait of Shanghai in the 1930s and 40s when it was still the Far East's most intriguing and cosmopolitan city.