University of Manchester and Manchester Reform Synagogue
Holocaust Memorial Day 2023: Jews, Gay People and the Holocaust
Online film series and live-streamed panel discussion with public Q&A, 2-8 February 2023
Chiming with the 25th anniversary of the release of the controversial landmark film Bent (UK / Japan 1997), the five films in this online series explore the predicaments of gay people and Jews during the Holocaust and its aftermath among the postwar generation. The concluding panel discussion with public Q&A brings together researchers with Jewish and LGBTQ community and cultural practitioners who will consider the distinct Holocaust histories and partly clashing cultural memories at hand.
On demand
Great Freedom (Austria / Germany 2021), d. Sebastian Meise
In post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans is repeatedly imprisoned under Paragraph 175, which criminalizes homosexuality. Over the decades, he develops an unlikely bond with his cellmate Viktor.
Link: MUBI; Curzon Home; Amazon Prime; (all subject to geoblocking; please check for your location)
Minyan (USA 2020), d. Eric Steele
Young David comes out in a community of Russian-Jewish Holocaust survivors in 1980s New York at the onset of the AIDS crisis. As David experiences a sexual and spiritual awakening, he begins to confront his intersecting identities as immigrant, Jew, and gay man.
Link: Peccadillo Pictures on Demand, Curzon Home, Amazon Prime (all subject to geoblocking; please check for your location)
2 February 2023, 18.00-20.00 GMT
Aimée & Jaguar (Germany 1998), d. Max Färberböck
Felice, a young Jewish woman living undercover in war-time Berlin falls in love with Lilly, a devoted Nazi and mother of four. A glossy, highly melodramatic film with interspersed erotic scenes amidst unfolding tragedy.
Livestream, registration link
6 February 2023, 18.00-20.00 GMT
HaBuah (The Bubble, Israel 2006), d. Eytan Fox
In a group of young people living in contemporary Tel Aviv, the Israeli Jew Noam embarks on a troubled relationship with the Palestinian Arab Ashraf. The film’s exploration of ethnic strife and sexual difference in contemporary Israel climaxes when both men visit a theatrical performance of Martin Sherman’s play Bent.
Livestream, registration link
8 February 2023, 18.00-20.00 GMT
Bent (UK / Japan 1997), d. Sean Matthias
Max, a gay man from Berlin, is deported to Dachau concentration camp, where he hides his sexuality and instead poses as a Jew. Through his love for fellow inmate Horst, Max discovers the meaning of gay pride.
Livestream, registration link You only need to register once for both events on 8 Feb.
8 February 2023, 20.00-21.00 GMT
Jews, Gay People and the Holocaust: Panel discussion with public Q&A
Panelists: Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen (Manchester Reform Synagogue and co-chair of Greater Manchester Citizens); Dr. Hannah Ewence (University of Chester); Dr. Andreas Pretzel (Magnus-Hirschfeld-Society, Berlin); and Greg Thorpe (curator, writer and cultural producer; festival Director for GAZE, Ireland’s international LGBTQ+ film festival). Moderation: Professor Cathy Gelbin (University of Manchester).
Livestream, registration link You only need to register once for both events on 8 Feb.
For further details please visit the University of Manchester CJS web pages.
Department of Drama | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures | University of Manchester | Manchester M13 9PL | UK