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Deep Dive: From Where They Stood (2023)

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From Where They Stood
From Where They Stood, also known as À pas aveugles, is a 2021 Holocaust documentary by Christophe Cognet that examines photographs taken secretly by prisoners at Nazi concentration camps including Dachau, Auschwitz, Mittlelbau-Dora, and Buchenwald during World War II. These photographs were smuggled out of the camps and developed either during the war or afterwards. The film presents a unique perspective by focusing on the experiences of the prisoners who took these photographs, contrasting them with images taken by German photographers for propaganda and those captured by Allied forces post-liberation. Cognet's investigative approach involves a detailed analysis of the photographs, starting with images captured by a prisoner nurse at Dachau. The film features works by prisoners such as Rudolf Cisar, Georges Angeli, and Alberto Errera, who documented the lives and suffering of fellow inmates. It includes disturbing images of women subjected to medical experiments and concludes with a harrowing examination of photographs taken near a gas chamber at Auschwitz, depicting the aftermath of gassings. The film begins and ends with imagery of a pond where cremated remains were disposed, emphasizing the lasting impact of these events.

Why Watch

  • •See photographs taken by prisoners at Dachau and Auschwitz.
  • •Find out about the secret lives of camp photographers.
  • •Meet survivors who documented their own suffering.

Did You Know

•The film won the Spirit of Freedom Award at the 2021 Jerusalem Film Festival.
•Photographer Rudolf Cisar took secret photos at Dachau while working as a nurse.
•Some photographs show women who had injuries from Nazi medical experiments.
•The film features images of bodies piled for cremation in open pits at Auschwitz.

Perfect For

Holocaust studiesPhotography historyWorld War II documentaries