ABOUT
The Podkamieners is a series of short films that reimagines the Holocaust documentary genre by juxtaposing rich and realistic animation with moving first and secondhand accounts. The series follows a group of related Holocaust survivors who were forced to flee their small town of Podkamien, Poland and hide in the woods at the peak of WWII.
Each film in “The Podkamieners” illustrates stories of survival that words alone could not justify, from a family of 30 finding refuge in the basement of a monastery, to a mother and son hiding in a coffin-sized bale of hay for more than 16 months.
But beneath those extraordinary stories lies the subtext of the lingering aftermath of the Holocaust, and its effects on survivors and their children alike. The films are punctuated by the complex nuances of surviving genocide, highlighting the contrast between those survivors who choose to remember their experiences and those who’d prefer to forget.
Yitzchak
Four siblings share how their late father turned being a sole survivor into the essence of their family’s foundation.
Isidore
Isidore reveals how he and his mother hid buried in a bundle of hay for nearly a year and a half, with nothing but the clothes they had on.
Mark
Mark describes in powerful detail some of the near-death experiences of the war that left him with haunting memories.
Benny
Benny recounts a childhood filled with war-torn memories in what became a real life game of hide and seek.
Fay and Josh
Two siblings exchange personal recollections of their survival as young children during WWII.
HISTORY
Podkamien (also referred to as Pidkamin or Podkamen) is a small town, formerly located in Poland in the province of Galicia, and currently located near the town of Brody in Ukraine's Lviv region.
Podkamien means 'at the foot of the rock,' or 'below the rock,' with pod meaning foot and kamien meaning rock. The town takes its name from its prominent inselberg, known as the 'Devil's Rock,' under which a church was built.
Prior to WWII, Podkamien had approximately 2,000 inhabitants, about half of which were Jewish. According to the participants in this series, only 60-70 Jews survived.
A view of the Devil's Rock in Podkamien. Photo by the Sarid Family, circa 2011.
The opening sequence of each of film is centered around the Devil's Rock.
TIMELINE OF PODKAMIEN DURING WWII
1939: Russia and Germany divide Poland in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Russia takes over the area of Poland where Podkamien is located.
1941: Germany breaks the pact and invades Podkamien.
1942: The remaining Jewish community is deported to the Brody Ghetto.
1943: The Brody Ghetto is liquidated. Inhabitants are either taken to concentration camps or flee to the woods.
1944: Podkamien is liberated by the Soviet Union.
Credit: Jewish Gen KehilaLinks
PRESS
The Podkamieners held its New York premiere at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust on October 22nd, 2018.
Following the screening, Director Sarah Kamaras was joined by Noah Lederman (author of A World Erased: A Grandson’s Search for His Family’s Holocaust Secrets) for a conversation about the third generation.
Filmmaker Sarah Kamaras Retells the Holocaust to a New Generation
Jewish Link of New Jersey ｜ July 4th, 2018
Newly-Released Animated Short Films Re-imagines Holocaust Documentary Genre
Breaking Israel News ｜ June 18th, 2018
Animation to Teach Generations About the Shoah
San Diego Jewish World ｜June 15th, 2018
How to Preserve Holocaust Memory? Animate the Past
Times of Israel ｜ June 7th, 2018
How Do We Remember to “Never Forget”?
JNS｜May 4th, 2016
UPCOMING EVENTS
Park Slope Jewish Center
Brooklyn Communal Yom Hashoah Commemoration
April 23rd, 2025 | 7pm
PAST EVENTS
San Francisco Waldorf High School
San Francisco, CA | April 17th, 2023
Boulder Jewish Film Festival
Boulder, CO | March 10th, 2020
Columbus Jewish Film Festival
AES Short Film Competition
Columbus, OH | November 6th, 2019
San Diego International Jewish Film Festival
La Jolla, CA | September 22nd, 2019
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
3G Short Film Series
Los Angeles, CA | August 18th, 2019
Plainview Jewish Center
Plainview, NY ｜May 1st, 2019
North Suburban Synagogue Beth El
Highland Park, IL｜April 7th, 2019
The Museum of Jewish Heritage
New York, NY | October 22nd, 2018
CREDITS
Sarah Kamaras
Director ｜Producer ｜ Editor
Sarah Kamaras is a producer and director, based in New York City.
She has produced award-winning videos at top digital media companies including Vox Media, Great Big Story/CNN and NowThis.
Sarah holds a BS in film from Boston University.
Erika Street Hopman
Editor
Erika Street Hopman is a producer and director of documentaries, short films, radio programs, and educational videos. She is co-founder of ChavoBart Digital Media, a company that specializes in developing, producing, and distributing short-form multimedia content on behalf of educational, environmental, and scientific organizations. Erika holds a BA in Biology from Cornell University and an MFA in film production from Boston University.
Chris Anderson
Sound Supervision
Chris Anderson is a one-time lobsterman, carpenter, mason and bartender; part-time sculptor, full-time dad and mail-order minister (weddings a specialty!) who has managed to parlay all that glamor, skill and prestige into a career in sound, sound design and music.
Clients include documentary work for the acclaimed Frontline series, as well as Nova and American Experience on PBS, independent and wide-release features (Detroit, American Hustle, The Finest Hours, Joy) and many other projects.
Tom Phillips
Music Composer
Tom Phillips has scored nearly 500 projects for national and regional networks, museums, independent films, and commercials.
He has been nominated for 2 music Emmys and scored 4 prime time Emmy winners that have won Best Documentary, and has scored 10 films that have gone to Sundance. Included in his projects have been dozens of films for American Experience, Nova, Independent Lens, the Antiques Roadshow theme, and even Henry Fonda's final film (an ABC movie of the week with Myrna Loy).
Ace & Son Moving Picture Co.
Animation
Ace & Son Moving Picture Co. LLC is an award-winning design and animation production company in New York City, founded and led by Richard O’Connor. Their work has aired on PBS, HBO and National Geographic and have been featured at various film festivals including the TriBeca Film Festival, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Hamptons Film Festival, The Chase Community Giving Awards, The Intelligent Channel.
Jacob Kamaras
Public Relations
Jacob Kamaras works with non-profits and other organizations to take their written marketing materials to the next level through thoughtfully crafted op-eds, blogs, and various other forms of content. He is the editorial director of J Cubed Communications, a Tel Aviv-based international PR firm. Previously, he spent more than a decade in journalism, including five years as the first editor in chief of the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS.org), where he grew the organization into a well-respected provider of national and international news to more than 75 Jewish and Christian print/online media outlets worldwide.
