Using animation to bring the artwork of Nathan Hilu to life, the film explores the aging artist and his abundant drawings depicting his time guarding Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials; the film begins its SoCal run on December 6.
The poignant documentary Nathan-ism, which originally premiered at the Hot Docs Festival 2023 and ended its theatrical run at the Quad Cinema in New York November 28, will begin a Los Angeles run at the Laemmle Royal on December 6.
Directed and edited by Elan Golod, the 2023 film explores the life and art of Nathan Hilu, the son of Syrian Jewish immigrants who was assigned to guard top Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials after WWII. This experience fueled a lifetime of artistic inspiration for Hilu, a virtually unknown “outsider artist”, who spent the next 70 years obsessively creating a visual narrative from his memories. But what happens when those memories take on a life of their own?
“As a filmmaker, I was drawn to Nathan Hilu’s story because of the opportunities his work affords to bridge the past and the present, the historical and the personal, and the small and intimate with the grand and grotesque,” said Golod. “With the rise of antisemitism and Holocaust denial worldwide, seeing the impact of the Nuremberg trials through the eyes of a soldier who witnessed them firsthand is highly significant.”
Nathan-ism features Hilu, Eli Rosenbaum, Laura Kruger, Jeannie Rosenfeld, Megan Harris, Gustavo Stecher, and Lori Miller.
The film utilizes some animation, created by Héloïse Dorsan-Rachet and Hectah Arias, to bring Hilu’s art to life. Jason Blevins serves as cinematographer. Caryn Capotosto executive produces while Melanie Vi Levy and Golod produce.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
