Film chronicles rescue of Jews from Nazi death camps through politics — and poker
“Rescue in the Philippines: Refuge From the Holocaust” will be shown at the Philippine Center on October 24th in celebration of Filipino American History Month. Actor Liev Schreiber is the narrator of the documentary The New York Times raved as “straightforward,” “fast-paced” and “fascinating.”
According to the film’s website, “Rescue in the Philippines” is a one-hour documentary of how the “five Frieder brothers, Cincinnati businessmen making two-for-a-nickel cigars in pre-World War II Manila, together with Manuel Quezon, the charismatic first president of the Philippines; Paul McNutt, U.S. High Commissioner and former governor of Indiana (preparing for his own presidential campaign); and an ambitious Army Colonel named Dwight Eisenhower helped 1,200 Jews escape the Nazis and immigrate to the Philippines.”
The film was produced and directed by 3 Roads Communications in association with the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education. Consultation was provided by Frieder Films, LLC. Dr. Barbara W. Sasser and Ms. Peggy J. Ellis, granddaughters of Alex and Morris Frieder, respectively, served as senior consultants for the film, according to the company website. Alex and Morris are two of the five Frieder brothers who used their friendship with Filipino officials to engineer the rescue of thousands of Jews from Nazi concentration camps.
The Times published a nice review in its March 28, 2013 issue titled “Holocaust Heroism in the Philippines.”
Be sure to catch the film at the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue at 6 p.m.
