TRAILER: vimeo.com/951225437
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Year: 2023 | Runtime: 96 minutes | 16:9 | 5.1 Stereo | NR

Director: Beth Lane
Screenwriters: Beth Lane & Aaron Soffin
Executive Producers: Beth Lane, Doug Prochilo, Angus Wall, Andy Hall, Jennifer Sofio Hall, Barbara Gerson, Mark Gerson, Jen Lane Landolt, Mark Landolt, Joel Moody
Co-Producers: Mai Amalie-Bak, Josh Buoy, Stacey Kessler-Aungst
Cast: Beth Lane, Philip Boehm, Gertrude Chapman, Renee Dicker, Ruth Gilliana, Ginger Lane
Editor: Aaron Soffin Composer: Jonathan Snipes Animator: Misfit
Language: English, German
Country: United States, Germany, Israel
Genre: Documentary Feature
Content Warning: Mature Themes, Sexual Assault, Abuse, Suitable for all Ages Social Media, X, FB, IG LinkedIN
2K DCP with dolby 5.1 1.85/1 and 5/1 are the proper formats

SALES

For Sales Inquiries,
please contact Submarine

SCREENINGS

For Distribution, Festivals & community screenings, contact Greenwich Entertainment

PRESS

For Press Inquiries, please contact
The Weber Family Arts Foundation

LOGLINE:

The daughter of a Holocaust survivor, embarks on an international quest to uncover answers about the plight of her mother and her six siblings who, as mere children, escaped Nazi Germany relying solely on their own youthful bravado and the kindness of German strangers.

SYNOPSIS

UnBroken chronicles the seven Weber siblings who evaded certain capture and death, and ultimately escaped Nazi Germany following their mother’s incarceration and murder at Auschwitz. After being hidden in a laundry hut by a benevolent farmer, the children spent two years on their own in wartorn Germany.

Emboldened by their father’s mandate that they ‘always stay together,’ the children used their own cunning and instincts to fight through hunger, loneliness, rape, bombings and fear. Their journey culminates with a painful ultimatum, when, separated from their father, they are told that they must declare themselves as orphans in order to escape to a new life in America. Unbeknownst to them, this salvation would become what would finally tear them apart, not to be reunited for another 40 years.

Beth Lane

DIRECTOR | PRODUCER | WRITER

Beth Lane is the award-winning director, executive producer and writer of the feature documentary film, UnBroken. An actress, singer and dancer, she is a second-generation Holocaust survivor. Beth’s driving force has always been to create spaces to exercise our collective capacity for empathy through storytelling, design and meditation.  Building bridges for a  better future is paramount to her work.

A keynote speaker, she has curated and served on panels nationwide & hosted over 40 episodes of a weekly Instagram Live on-camera podcast, Banter with Beth.

The World Premiere of UnBroken was awarded Best Documentary Feature Film for Beth’s directorial debut in Indianapolis at The Heartland International Film Festival in 2023, which took place on October 8th, 2023, one day after the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel in the worst genocide against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

UnBroken has continued to win audience choice awards at the River Run Int’l Film Festival, Julien Dubuque Int’l Film Festival and The Berkshire Int’l Film Festival. Beth also received the Best First Time Filmmaker Award at Hot Springs Int’l Women’s Film Festival in 2024.

UnBroken began its journey at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film & Television in 2017 while Beth was studying to receive her MFA. The film is both a professional milestone for her and a personal quest to immortalize the incredible story of the Weber siblings’ survival as Jews living in Nazi Germany. The unwavering courage shown by those who helped the siblings survive, as well as the original music, graphics and animations employed in Beth’s storytelling, are critical components to her style as a director.

She is the founder of The Weber Family Arts Foundation which is the culmination of many thoughtful years of experience as an artist and activist serving on philanthropic boards and volunteering. The mission of WFAF is to combat antisemitism, bigotry and hate by driving awareness, engagement and activism through the arts, across a wide variety of mediums, by sharing stories of hope. UnBroken is The Weber Family Arts Foundation’s inaugural project.

THE TEAM

Doug Prochilo

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

After starting his career writing and performing in the New York theater scene, Doug Prochilo moved to Los Angeles. He has worked on both the business and creative sides of the Film and TV businesses as a development executive, writer and producer at Disney, CBS, Paramount and NBC. He brings his passion for storytelling to UnBroken.

Angus Wall

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Angus is a two-time Academy Award, three-time Emmy and BAFTA-winning editor and director. He is the founder and owner of the Rock Paper Scissors Group which consists of the film and commercial editorial company Rock Paper Scissors, VFX boutique a52, design and commercial production company Elastic, film data management company Datalab, and film and television production company MakeMake. Angus is the only person to ever win back-to-back Academy Awards for Best Editing, for THE SOCIAL NETWORK and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

Andy Hall

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Andy is the Executive Creative Director at Elastic, the animation and design division of MakeMake Entertainment. His love for the craft and mastery of animation is evident in the work he's done for Warner Bros, Honda, RIOT Games, HBO’s GAME OF THRONES,  XBOX, and BBDO's American Red Cross Holiday campaign, for which he took top honors in the Annecy International Film Festival, along with work winning many awards from Shots, ADC, Clios, Communication Arts and ProMax to name a few. 

Jennifer Sofio Hall

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Jennifer is the Managing Director of MakeMake Ent. Her credits include Netflix’s NEYMAR: THE PERFECT CHAOS, HALFTIME, KILLER INSIDE: THE MIND OF AARON HERNANDEZ, and KEVIN HART: DON’T F**K THIS UP. 

Barbara & Mark Gerson

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Before joining UnBroken as Executive Producers in December 2021, Barbara & Mark Gerson were Executive Producers of the Oscar-nominated 2015 film, THE HUNTING GROUND, which shed light on the rampant issue of sexual assault across American college campuses and universities. Barbara and Mark Gerson have been selected to receive the high honor of Philanthropist of the Year Award 2024 by Michigan State University’s College of Social Science. In addition, they have served and continue to serve on several boards including those associated with educational and health oriented organizations.

Jen Lane Landolt & Mark Landolt

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Jen Lane Landolt and Mark Landolt are marketing executives who met while working on the global McDonald’s business in the early 1990s. Mark is currently the President of TMS, is owner of HAVI (its parent company), and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. Jen retired from McDonald’s after 25+ years in 2020 and is currently the Chair of the Chicago Woman’s Alliance for Partners In Health, a non-profit, social justice global health organization.

Joel Moody

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Joel is a Partner and the Head of Asset Management at the real estate private equity firm Rockwood Capital. He received his MBA in Finance and MA in Economics from Northwestern University, and BA in Economics from Carleton College.

Aaron Soffin

LEAD EDITOR & CO-WRITER

Aaron Soffin is a documentary film editor compelled by the puzzle of each unique story. His award-winning feature documentaries include Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested’s analysis of the Syrian crisis, HELL OF EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND THE RISE OF ISIS; DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus' retelling of Bill Clinton’s 1992 victory, THE RETURN OF THE WARr ROOM; Andrew Jacobs' uplifting tale of a community of Holocaust survivors refusing to surrender their joie-de-vivre, FOUR SEASONS LODGE; and Andrew Berends' verité portraits of Iraqi families during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, BLOOD OF MY BROTHER and WHEN ADNAN COMES HOME. Aaron recently edited Ramona Diaz’ AND SO IT BEGINS which premiered at Sundance.

Lia Lenart

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Lia graduated with honors from Harvard, where she designed her own focus field on Gender in 20th Century American Media and Culture within the Social Studies concentration. A UCLA TFT/Telluride FilmLAB Fellow, she received the Streisand Sony Fellowship, Jim Morrison Film Award, and UCLA University Fellowship. Her thesis, CASSANDRA, a psychological drama about the college hook-up culture, was awarded the Women in Film Verna Fields Memorial Fellowship, Lynn Weston Fellowship in Film, and the Adrienne Shelley Foundation Thesis Award.

Natalie Toppino

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Natalie is a Los Angeles-based editor with recent feature film credits including I LOVE YOU FOREVER (2023 SXSW), ADULT BEST FRIENDS (2023 Tribeca), and STEALING PULP FICTION (2023). Additionally, Natalie has edited dozens of commercials and digital ads, with high-profile brands including HBO MAX, VOGUE, JLO BEAUTY, FENTY BEAUTY, and CLEAR.

Dina Guttmann

ADDITIONAL EDITING

Dina delights in bringing characters to life. Whether it be the King of Nepal in National Geographic Special’s THE LAST ROYALS, the mother and son duo who hand-craft artificial eyes in POV’s A HEALING ART, or the flamboyant Mexican wrestler Cassandro in The New Yorker’s THE MAN WITHOUT A MASK, Dina specializes in creating emotional connections between audiences and the characters who drive these stories. Since her career began in 1996, she has won a number of best editing awards, most recently for SHE MARCHES IN CHINATOWN.

Alex H. Liu

ADDITIONAL EDITING

Alex’s feature film credits include MONOS (2019) the Academy-Award-winning SOUND OF METAL (2020) and LAND (2021). His extensive work in advertising includes global commercial spots for brands such as Playstation, Volkswagen, META, Wealthsimple and Ancestry.com. He is a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild and is represented by Rock Paper Scissors in Santa Monica and New York.

Hanadi Elyan

ADDITIONAL EDITOR

Hanadi is the award-winning Director, Editor and Writer of SALMA’S HOME. Her credits include Director, Producer & Writer of LIZ’S BIRTHDAY & Director, Editor, Producer, Sound Editor and Writer of A NIGHT AT THE ELEVATOR. Hanadi is a professor narrative film directing at Emerson College.

Stacy Kessler-Aungst

C0-PRODUCER

Stacy Kessler-Aungst is the Head of Post-Production at MakeMake Entertainment. Her credits include Netflix’s THE BLACK GODFATHER, HALFTIME, and AMEND: THE FIGHT FOR AMERICA. Stacy produced FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM (2022). She has been on the editorial department for 12 STRONG, STROKE OF GENIUS, and more.

Jonathan Snipes

COMPOSER

Jonathan is a Los Angeles-based composer and sound designer. He teaches sound design at UCLA and is a member of the rap group CLIPPING, an American experimental hip hop group with rapper Daveed Diggs. CLIPPING is currently signed to Sub Pop Records. Jonathan has served as a composer and sound editor within a wide variety of visual media, including documentaries, narrative films, short films, television, and music videos.

MISFIT

ANIMATION TEAM

Melissa Leon leads this full-service design agency. MISFIT works across a wide array of industries – travel, technology, hospitality, film, and more – providing services including animation, VFX, illustration, stop motion and experiential design. is the studio behind CONFECTION, NEW YEAR, DEATH IS SMOKING MY CIGARS and STARSHIP IMPOSSIBLE.

Mai Amalie Bak

CO-PRODUCER

Mai Amalie Bak is a writer and producer with a lifelong love for storytelling of all kinds. Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, Mai's international upbringing led her to pursue a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, followed by her MFA in Film & Television Producing program at Chapman University in California. She has produced several short films, including ETANA, which won the Horizon Award (2020) and was nominated for the John Singleton Impact Award (2021). Mai is currently a producer at AVdesign, a production company in Billund, Denmark.

Josh Buoy

CO-PRODUCER/ANIMATION

Josh Buoy is a filmmaker who has spent his career co-founding and leading creative agencies and production companies. Josh has written, produced, and directed 50+ commercials for international brands, including Google, University of Michigan, Spotify, and NYU; his original work has played at film festivals across the country, and he's been shortlisted for a Cannes Lion in advertising. As an artist, Josh is passionate about telling stories that reflect the multiplicity of our identities, fostering compassion, tolerance, and empathy.

Christine Cirker

CO-PRODUCER/LEAD ARCHIVIST

Producer for the award-winning short film THE RED SHOE [RIIFF 2024 Premiere, Soho International FF 2024]. Producing director of F.A.B.Women (The Barrow Group’s women’s development group). NY Women In Film & TV (NYWIFT) member, VP emeritus League of Professional Theatre Women. Co-Director LOST & FOUND in NYC & Edinburgh. Graduate of University of Michigan.

David Tomlin

CO-PRODUCER/POST-PRODUCTION

An LA native, David Tomlin has worked in Post Production for the past 15 years. He has Co-Produced several projects, including THE OPEN HOUSE (Netflix), THE COMEDY STORE (Showtime), NOCTURNAL (Theatrical), HEAVEN'S GATE: THE CULT OF CULTS (HBO Max), HYSTERICAL (FX), and more.

Olivia Aquilina

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Olivia has been working commercials with Nike, music videos for notable Chicago artists, and multiple narrative and web series projects. She recently shot a short film titled, MULATTO, that debuted at Cucalorus Film Festival. She has worked in the camera department on Lifetime features, documentaries and many other projects featuring Chance the Rapper, Hannibal Buress, Serena Williams and more.

Nicholas Price

SOUND ENGINEER

Hulu’s THE BEAR is Nick’s most recent venture. Hulu’s Emmy-nominated and winning show also culminated in an Emmy for Production Sound Mixer, Scott Smith, for outstanding sound mixing. Nick began his audio journey working as a post sound intern for Danetracks, working on the Wachowski’s much celebrated show, SENSE8. Nick continued to gain experience working as a sound recordist and mixer, freelancing on many notable production and post sound projects. Especially drawn to those with an authentic story to tell. Intrigued with storytelling and longform narrative, Nick managed to start working on some notable TV shows in Chicago.

19 FILM FESTIVALS, 30 SCREENINGS
VISIBILITY TO 35,000+

THE WEBER SIBLINGS

HEROES - FEATURED UPSTANDERS

PRODUCTION STILLS

BETH LANE | Q&A

QUESTION: You’ve been an actress your entire career. Why did you step behind the camera now?

BETH LANE ANSWER: An experience happened to me in 2017 that was, as we say in Yiddish, “besheret,” or, “meant to be.” Sometimes in life, when a door opens you have no choice but to walk through, that’s what I did and I’ve never looked back.

QUESTION: Did directing come naturally to you?

BETH LANE ANSWER: I think in many ways I have always been a director. As an actor, my late acting teacher, the magnificent William Esper, used to arm us with so much knowledge - he would tell us that we had to be director-proof. Meaning that we were entirely responsible for our characters and that it was up to us to make sure that every single moment, every breath, was accounted for, filled with specificity and life - that we should never rely on a director to tell us what to do. Bring a million choices to the table and give the director a palette with which to paint - be accountable to the other actors in the scene, serve the writer and most of all, be present. That’s a tall order. So I was trained to think like a director in addition to nurturing the skills needed to be an actor. On top of that, along with my husband of 33 years, I’ve raised 3 wonderful men, all of whom are smart, creative and contributing members of society. So I think I have directing in my bones.

QUESTION: What surprised you most about telling this story?

BETH LANE ANSWER: What a great question. I think discovering that as someone who has never been defined by my religion, I am dedicated to my Judaism. Judaism is not something outside of me. It is not a practice or a virtue. For me is it as natural as the air I breathe. I can’t quote scripture for you or even tell you why we chant every prayer. I chant so many by memory and I am very particular about the melodies that fill my heart. Making UnBroken has allowed me to embrace how wholly Jewish I am. And I am very proud of it. My life doesn’t revolve around my Judaism. But this moment in history - this horrible period of antisemitism has brought out the Mama Bear in me that is fierce and ancient. My birth grandfather was tortured by Nazis and then they murdered my birth grandmother. My mother and her siblings barely survived. I had never considered that I was the recipient of intergenerational trauma until I started exploring my mother’s past.

QUESTION: How have you dealt with the trauma?

BETH LANE ANSWER: I still don’t consider myself to be traumatized. But I do feel it is my responsibility, as an educated woman who has never wanted for food or shelter, as someone who has agency, to make choices that are filled with courage, bravery and hope.

QUESTION: What are your hopes for UnBroken?

BETH LANE ANSWER: UnBroken is the first project of The Weber Family Arts Foundation, a non-profit I established to combat antisemitism, bigotry and hate through the arts, across a wide variety of mediums, by telling stories of hope. It is my fervent wish that UnBroken reaches audiences far and wide to serve as a bridge for conversations among communities that are suffering from “us and them.” We are all one human species. We all need opportunities to exercise our muscles of empathy and compassion and I believe UnBroken provides that.

QUESTION: What are your plans for The Weber Family Arts Foundation?

BETH LANE ANSWER: We need support. Financial support. UnBroken was financed by donors and grant money… and, (cough cough) my bank account. So, I have no investors to pay back. But we need financial support so that we can develop companion curriculum, design a traveling museum exhibit and publish an accompanying book that highlights our extensive archives so we can shine a light on the incredible upstanders along the way who enabled my Mom and her siblings to survive. To do all of this we need to hire an executive director and a director of development. At the end of the day, my dream is that The Weber Family Arts Foundation will be giving seed money to other artists, across any medium, so they can tell their stories of hope in the face of bigotry and hate. Our planet must always continue to evolve, our species must always find ways to grow and expand. “Otherwise,” as the legendary actress Ruth Gordon’s character Maude says in my desert island pick, Harold & Maude, “you got nothin’ to talk about in the locker room!”

BEHIND THE SCENES

SALES & DISTRIBUTION

Submarine Entertainment

Sales

Submarine is a hybrid sales, production and distribution company run by twin brothers and co-founders Dan Braun and Josh Braun. The company has been involved with the sale of six of the last twelve Academy Award-winning documentaries: American Factory, Citizenfour, 20 Feet From Stardom, Man on Wire, The Cove and Searching for Sugar Man.

Other films in Submarine’s portfolio include: Porcelain War, The Donn of Tiki, Honeyland, One Child Nation, Echo in the Canyon, Tell Me Who I Am, Watson, The Amazing Johnathan Documentary, Edge of Democracy, The Kingmaker, Midnight Family, Sea of Shadows, Circus of Books, XY Chelsea, Ernie and Joe, Three Identical Strangers, The Oslo Diaries, Crime and Punishment, Joan Jett: Bad Reputation, Chasing Ice, and The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, among others.

Submarine's recent and upcoming non-fiction series titles include The Devil Next Door, Evil Genius, The Keepers, Lenox Hill, Pick of the Litter, and the Emmy award-winning Best Documentary Series, Wild Wild Country.

Greenwich Entertainment

US distributor

An independent film distribution company specializing in distinctive narrative and documentary features, Greenwich Entertainment was founded in 2017 by Ed Arentz, Andy Bohn & Edmondo Schwartz. The company released Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi’s Academy Award-Winning Documentary Free Solo, which grossed over $17M at the US box office, Andrew Slater’s Echo in the Canyon, which opened to the highest per-theater-average of any documentary in 2019, and Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.

Panaroma Films US

International distributor

A boutique content curator and distributor for award-winning independent and foreign films and TV content. Based in Los Angeles, we specialize in finding the best feature films and TV content around the globe, bringing it to North America and other territories and building its prestige and buzz through Festivals, one-off special screenings, theatrical distribution, VOD and streaming.