Groundbreaking animated film brings Holocaust testimony to life at Lords screening

The Holocaust Educational Trust and Baroness Luciana Berger hosted a screening of a groundbreaking animated drama based on the testimony of Holocaust survivor Ivor Perl.

Over 60 guests attended the event at the House of Lords, including Parliamentarians from both Houses, HET young Ambassadors, and supporters of the Trust.

Directed by Zoom Rockman, SURVIVOR tells the remarkable story of Ivor Perl BEM, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau as a child and survived the Holocaust.

Using a distinctive self-developed paper puppetry animation technique, the film presents Ivor’s testimony in a powerful and innovative format, introducing new audiences to one survivor’s experiences during one of history’s darkest chapters.

The film draws on Ivor’s memoir, Chicken Soup under the Tree: A Journey to Hell and Back. Great care was taken during production to ensure historical accuracy, using photographs, survivor testimony, expert consultation, and extensive research at former concentration camp sites.

After the screening, attendees participated in a Q&A with director Zoom Rockman, discussing the making of the film, the responsibility of telling Holocaust stories authentically, and the importance of ensuring survivor testimony reaches future generations.

Ivor Perl BEM also spoke with Rt Hon Darren Jones MP and presented him with a signed copy of his memoir.

Rockman said: “I was born in the year 2000, so I’ve grown up with the internet and witnessed the rise of Holocaust denial online. At school, I’d been told that I’d be one of the last to meet Holocaust survivors, so when I met Ivor Perl BEM and read his testimony, I saw it as an opportunity to present a primary source testimony to my generation (Gen Z) and the next in a way that would be accessible to them.”

Perl reflected: “When I was asked if Zoom could make my testimony into an animation, I thought to myself, ‘Is this what it’s come to? Making the Holocaust into Mickey Mouse?’ But now I realise, what Zoom has done is the most wonderful thing and has made my experience understandable for a whole new generation. I hope it is a great success and can make a difference to Humanity so that people can see where hate leads and what starts with the Jews doesn’t end up with the Jews.”

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of HET, concluded: “Finding new and engaging ways to share survivor testimony is more important than ever. SURVIVOR is a remarkable film that brings Ivor’s story to life in a way that is both engaging and firmly rooted in historical accuracy and authenticity. Creating opportunities for people to engage directly with survivor stories is central to our mission – it ensures these histories are not only preserved, but meaningfully shared.”