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Free Student Screening of The Rescuers at Mandell JCC Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 5:00 PM; Acclaimed New Film on World War II Diplomat Heroes Slated For Major Festivals

A special free screening of The Rescuers, a new documentary by Joyce Mandell and Michael King about Holocaust diplomat heroes, will be held for students and teachers on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 5:00 PM at the Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, CT 06117.

The riveting 94-minute documentary traces the remarkable deeds of thirteen courageous diplomats who defied their governments’ orders to help save more then 200,000 European Jews during World War II. International in scope with deep Connecticut roots, The Rescuers was three years in the making by Executive Producer Joyce D. Mandell, a West Hartford businesswoman and philanthropist, and Michael King, an Emmy-winning African-American filmmaker originally from New London, Connecticut. 

The free screening in the Herbert Gilman Theater will be followed by a Reel Talk panel with Ms. Mandell and Stephen Bayer, project consultant.  Admission for students and teachers is free however, however tickets are required. Tickets are available at the Mandell JCC Member Services Center and the Box Office, 860-231-6316, Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, CT. 06117, tickets@mandelljcc.org

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The Rescuers features British historian, scholar and author Sir Martin Gilbert and Stephanie Nyombayire, a Rwandan human rights activist who lost more than 100 family members in her country’s genocide. They traveled to 15 countries and three continents interviewing survivors who had been saved, their families and descendants of the diplomats. Using archival footage and weaving documentary style and dramatic re-enactments, Sir Martin and Ms. Nyombayire and crew travel from London to Rwanda, Paris to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel. The interviews continue through Germany, Denmark, France, Poland, Lithuania and finally Budapest, the scene of the largest diplomatic rescue effort in history.   Among the diplomats featured are German diplomat George F. Duckwitz, Americans Varian Fry and Hiram Bingham, Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara, Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk, Turkish Consul Selahattin Ulkumen, British Captain Frank Foley, Polish diplomat Henryk Slawik, Swedish official Raoul Wallenberg and Consul Carl Lutz of Switzerland.

The documentary, praised by Variety as "fascinating, emotional, pace hopping" has won  Best Documentary and Best Soundtrack awards at film festivals in Palm Beach, Palm Springs, Spokane and Beloit. It was the selected film presentation at the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles in March 2011 and is slated for screening at upcoming film festivals including Montreal and Seattle.   For more information about the film visit www.rescuersdoc.com.

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The May 17, 2011 Mandell JCC screening of The Rescuers  is supported by these Mandell JCC Partners (as of May 9, 2011)   Data-Mail, Inc., BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Brown Brothers Harriman, CBT, Citizens Bank, Farmington Bank, Kostin, Ruffkess & Company and media sponsor Connecticut Jewish Ledger.  For more information, visit www.mandelljcc.org or call 860-236-4571.

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