Art of Silence

Southeast US Premiere

While legendary pantomime Marcel Marceau entertained audiences on stages around the world, much of his tragic history and influence remains hidden off stage. Before he became a world-famous mime, he was Marcel Mangel, an aspiring Jewish actor who joined the French Resistance to save the lives of thousands of children orphaned at the hands of the Nazis. In this first-ever feature documentary about Marceau's life, director Maurizius Staerkle Drux portrays the performer behind the painted mask as a deeply complex, sensitive, and compassionate man whose art was rooted in his experiences of atrocities during the Second World War. This heartwarming and loving tribute to Marceau’s craft, life, and legacy brilliantly intertwines archival footage from the war, interviews with his loved ones, and rare excerpts from Marceau’s unforgettable performances, where he used his fame to promote love and not war.