Discovery Acquires Global TV Rights To Warsaw Ghetto Documentary ‘Who Will Write Our History’

Denise Petski

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EXCLUSIVE: Discovery has acquired global television rights to Warsaw Ghetto documentary Who Will Write Our History from the film’s distributor Abramorama. The Discovery broadcast is scheduled for January 2020 in the U.S. and several territories worldwide.

Giant Pictures, Kathadin Productions, Playmount Productions and Match&Spark also are behind the film from director Roberta Grossman and executive producer Nancy Spielberg.

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Featuring narration from Joan Allen and The Pianist star Adrien Brody, Who Will Write Our History is set in November 1940, days after the Nazis sealed 450,000 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, when a secret band of journalists, scholars and community leaders decided to fight back. Led by Ringelblum and known by the code name Oyneg Shabes, the clandestine group vowed to defeat Nazi lies and propaganda not with guns or fists but with pen and paper. Who Will Write Our History mixes the writings of the Oyneg Shabes archive with new interviews, rarely seen footage, and dramatizations (shot on location in Lodz and Warsaw, Poland) to transport viewers inside the Ghetto and the lives of the courageous resistance fighters. You can watch the trailer below.

Executive Producer Ronald S. Lauder said, “From the moment I became involved with Who Will Write Our History, I shared Roberta’s and Nancy’s vision of producing a documentary film that must be seen by the widest possible global audience. Discovery’s vast international reach and reputation for presenting high-quality, non-fiction programming makes it the perfect television partner. We deeply appreciate Nancy Daniels and David Zazlav’s support and commitment to broadcasting this important and timely story. The only way to fight modern day anti-Semitism is through education, and this film will be an important tool in that arsenal.”

Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer Discovery & Factual added, “Who Will Write Our History reminds us all how important all voices are needed to find the truth. And while World War II was over nearly 75 years ago, today these stories emphasize how imperative it for journalists and writers to record and unpack the issues they are observing. Discovery is honored to work with Ronald, Nancy, and Roberta to bring this film to TV audiences in the U.S. and beyond.”

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2019, Abramorama, with the support of UNESCO, the World Jewish Congress’ #WeRemember initiative and others, organized 355 screenings in 55 countries for the film, as well as premiere screening and Facebook Live integrated event at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, with the participation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, Poland, Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Birkenau, Poland.

The film went on to play in more than 75 countries and festivals including the Palm Springs Film Festival, Rome Film Festival, and the Berlin Film Festival as a Berlinale Special. Who Will Write Our History has won audience awards at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Miami Jewish Film Festival and JFilm Festival, and best documentary at the Twin Cities Film Festival.

Who Will Write Our History will have a special screening tomorrow night in NYC at the 92nd Street Y, hosted by the 92nd Street Y, Ronald S. Lauder, and The Committee to Protect Journalists, followed by a conversation with director Roberta Grossman, Executive Producer Nancy Spielberg and “Who Will Write Our History?” author Samuel D. Kassow, moderated by CNN’s Dana Bash.

The deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by Abramorama’s COO/Partner Karol Martesko-Fenster and Strategic Advisor Joe Cantwell, and on behalf of Discovery by Senior Director, Business & Legal Affairs Melanie Jones.

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