Friede auf Erde

Originally exhibited in the historic canal houseHuis Willet-Holthuysen. The film is an adaption of ‘Weihnachtslegende 1943’, the script of a Christmas story written during the second world war by Grete Weil, a German-jewish author who fled the nazi regime to Amsterdam. The play merges elements of the Christmas story with autobiographical elements of Weil’s own life. It takes place in an Amsterdam theatre which functioned as a nazi prison camp. It follow the story of a pregnant woman who escapes the theatre, who gives birth as she is helped by a resistance group, and then dies. Written during the war and performed illegally, it was both a way of dealing with the experience of war, as well as an attempt to provide hope for peace to its limited audience.

In our adaptation, the script is acted out by children, as a kind of Christmas play in school. We have translated the script, originally in German, into various languages: Dutch, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Ukrainian, and Turkish. The various languages create new perspectives, creating new relevance for this cry for peace from the past. But also underlining how history is also something that is mutable, and changes according to who is telling it.

Commissioned by: Amsterdam Museum

Curator: Imara Limon

Actors: Elsie de Brauw, Pitou Gomes, Luca Hillen, Dalí Broertjes, Eren Centintas, Cecilia Di Natale, Gwenn Hoogenstrijd, Dilara Idriz, Oona Longo, Bojan Martina, Lina Matahariku Tomesen, Zoï Vogeas, Limeni Weemhoff, Ludmila Wijnands, Ada Yatmaz, Ilgin Yamac

Music Performers: Chloë Abbott, Harald Austbø, Laat van Haverbeke, Paul Koek

Narrators: Ali T. As'ad, Matthias Braun, Alondra Castellanos Arreola, Nirit Peled, Tanya Vronska, Limeni Weemhoff, Seyhan Yamac.

Directors: Sander Breure and Witte van Hulzen

Camera: Witte van Hulzen

Music composition: Sander Breure

Production: Titus Nouwens

Lighting: Arjen Seykens - 50hz Lighting

Costumes: Sjo Schütt

Sound design: Arnoud Traa - De Auditieve Dienst

Color grading: Amator

Assistent editor: Sean Hannan

Production support: Loïs Richard, Ela Kolb, Eline van der Steen, Thijs Vlootman

Supported by: Mondriaan fonds, Gemeente Amsterdam, Vrienden Loterij, Elja Foundation, V fonds