The films below provided in this Annotated Videography are organized by date of release. The ratings assigned by the Motion Picture Association of America and the TV Parental Ratings Guidelines Monitoring Board are indicated for each film. Please note that the New York State Education Department (NYSED) does not recommend, endorse, or advise on specific curricular content including movies used for instructional purposes, as these decisions are made at the local level. Educators are encouraged to preview films prior to classroom use, consider the developmental levels of their students, and be mindful of both school policies regarding movie ratings and guidelines on parental input and guidance when choosing movies for instructional purposes. In addition, opportunities for students to process difficult material thoughtfully and respectfully should be provided.
The Garden of the Finzi Contini
(Italian with English subtitles, Rated R)
1970
This classic Italian drama focuses on the intellectual Finzi-Contini family, Jewish aristocrats who live on an idyllic estate. Siblings Alberto and Micol Finzi-Contini (Helmut Berger, Dominique Sanda) regularly hold parties with their friends, largely sheltered from the growing antisemitism in their country. When the Fascist movement becomes stronger, however, it affects everyone in the orbit of the family.
Sophie's Choice
(Rated R)
1982
Stingo (Peter MacNicol), a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her lover Nathan (Kevin Kline), he learns that Sophie is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing story, from pre-war prosperity to Auschwitz. In the present, Sophie and Nathan's relationship increasingly unravels as Stingo grows closer to Sophie, and Nathan's fragile mental state becomes ever more apparent.
Au Revoir Les Enfants
(French with English subtitles, Rated PG)
1987
In 1943, Julien (Gaspard Manesse) is a student at a French boarding school. When three new students arrive, including Jean Bonnett (Raphael Fejto), Julien believes they are no different from the other boys. What Julien doesn't know is that the boys are actually Jews who are evading capture by the Nazis. While Julien doesn't care for Jean at first, the boys develop a tight bond -- while the head of the school, Père Jean (Philippe Morier-Genoud), works to protect the boys from the Holocaust.
Triumph of the Spirit
(Rated R)
1989
In Greece during World War II, Salamo Arouch (Willem Dafoe), a young Jewish boxer, meets regularly with girlfriend Allegra (Wendy Gazelle) until they and their families are sent to Auschwitz. When the Nazis learn of his boxing record, they force him to participate in weekly boxing matches, threatening his family if he refuses. Salamo fights well, despite knowing every person he defeats will be killed. As Allegra sustains him, Salamo fights for the extra rations that will keep his father alive.
Europa, Europa
(German with English subtitles, Rated R)
1990
Jewish teenager Salek (Marco Hofschneider) is separated from his family when they flee their home in Germany after Kristallnacht. He ends up in a Russian orphanage for two years, but when Nazi troops reach Russia he convinces them he is a German Aryan, and becomes an invaluable interpreter and then an unwitting war hero. His deception becomes increasingly difficult to maintain after he joins the Hitler Youth and finds love with beautiful Leni (Julie Delpy), a fervent antisemite.
Schindler's List
(Rated R)
1993
Businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) arrives in Krakow in 1939, ready to make his fortune from World War II, which has just started. After joining the Nazi party primarily for political expediency, he staffs his factory with Jewish workers for similarly pragmatic reasons. When the SS begins exterminating Jews in the Krakow ghetto, Schindler arranges to have his workers protected to keep his factory in operation, but soon realizes that in so doing, he is also saving innocent lives.
Swing Kids
(Rated PG-13)
1993
The title refers to a youth subculture in Nazi Germany, in which teenagers embraced American and British swing music in defiance of the Nazi regime. The film follows two high school students (Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale) in their attempt to be swing kids by night and Hitler Youth by day, a decision that acutely impacts their friends and families.
Bent
(Rated NC-17)
1997
In 1930s Berlin, homosexual Max (Clive Owen) sleeps with German officer Wolf (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), only to see him killed by his fellow Nazis the next morning. Fleeing with his boyfriend, Rudy (Brian Webber), Max is eventually caught and forced to beat his partner to death on a train to prove they have no connection. He's then sent to Dachau concentration camp and meets Horst (Lothaire Bluteau), a proud gay man also bound for the camp.
The Last Days
(Rated PG-13)
1998
In late 1944, even as they faced imminent defeat, the Nazis expended enormous resources to kill or deport over 425,000 Jews during the "cleansing" of Hungary. This Oscar-winning documentary, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, focuses on the plight of five Hungarian Jews who survived imprisonment in Auschwitz. Though these survivors recount the horrors they witnessed and endured as a result of the Nazis' "Final Solution," their individual triumphs are a testament to hope and humanity.
Life is Beautiful
(Italian with English subtitles, Rated PG-13)
1998
A gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), meets Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), a pretty school teacher, and wins her over with his charm and humor. Eventually they marry and have a son, Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). Their happiness is abruptly halted, however, when Guido and Giosue are separated from Dora and taken to a concentration camp. Determined to shelter his son from the horrors of his surroundings, Guido convinces Giosue that their time in the camp is merely a game.
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
(Rated PG)
2000
This award-winning documentary film recounts the remarkable story of the rescue operation known as the Kindertransport and its dramatic impact on the lives of the children. For nine months prior to World War II, the British rescue operation saved the lives of over 10,000 Jewish and other children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Danzig by transporting them via train, boat, and plane to Great Britain. The film contains stories from the child survivors, rescuers, parents, and foster parents in their own words. They recount, in harrowing detail, the effects of the Nazi's reign of terror, the horror of Kristallnacht, the agonizing decision by parents to send their children away, the journey, the difficulties of adjustment in foster homes and hostels in Britain, the outbreak of war, and the children's tragic discovery afterward that most of their parents had perished in concentration camps.
Conspiracy
(Rated R)
2001
This made-for-television film that dramatizes the 1942 Wannsee Conference near Berlin. Using an authentic script taken from the only surviving transcript recorded during the meeting, the film delves into the psychology of Nazi officials involved in the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question,” as they determine the fate of European Jewry.
Nowhere in Africa
(German with English subtitles, Rated R)
2001
Sensing the threat posed by the Nazi regime in 1938, Jewish lawyer Walter Redlich (Merab Ninidze) relocates with his wife, Jettel (Juliane Köhler), and daughter, Regina (Lea Kurka), to a remote farm in Kenya, abandoning their once-comfortable existence in Germany. They each deal with the harsh realities of their new life in different ways. Walter is resigned to working the farm as a caretaker; pampered Jettel resists adjustment at every turn; while the shy yet curious Regina immediately embraces the country— learning the local language and customs, and finding a friend in Owuor (Sidede Onyulo), the farm’s cook. As the war rages on the other side of the world, the trio’s relationships to their strange environment become increasingly complicated. Things worsen when the British authorities round up all German citizens including Jews and intern them in Nairobi, separating men from women. Dispirited, Walter decides to join the Allied army, and Jettel stays to run the farm with Owuor.
Uprising
(Rated TV-MA)
2001
Based on the true story of the Jewish Fighting Organization, a courageous band of youthful Polish guerillas and freedom fighters refuse to knuckle under to the Nazis during World War II. Led by schoolteacher Mordechai Anielewicz (Hank Azaria), the organization comes into being as the Warsaw Jewish ghetto is being systematically decimated and its residents shipped off to the Treblinka death camp by the German occupation forces. From April 19 to May 16, 1943, Anielewicz' followers staged a valiant uprising, which, though ultimately unsuccessful in stopping the Nazi "final solution" juggernaut, inflicted an enormous amount of damage upon the enemy and enabled hundreds of Polish Jews to escape the gas ovens and crematoria.
The Grey Zone
(Rated R)
2002
Based on actual events, this film is the staggeringly powerful story of the one of the Sonderkommando "Special Squads" of Jews imprisoned at Auschwitz placed by the Nazis in the excruciating moral dilemma of helping to exterminate fellow Jews in exchange for a few more months of life. This film asks to what terrible lengths we are willing to go to save our own lives.
The Pianist
(Rated R)
2002
In this adaptation of the autobiography, The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until liberating armies led to the release of people imprisoned in concentration camp, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.
Rosenstrasse
(German with English subtitles, Rated PG-13)
2003
After the death of her father, Hannah (Maria Schrader) observes her widowed mother, Ruth (Jutta Lampe), partaking in Orthodox Jewish mourning rituals. Ruth refuses to answer Hannah's questions about why she's doing this, so Hannah goes to Germany to learn about her parents' past during World War II. She meets the elderly Lena (Doris Schade), who tells Hannah about Ruth's role in the Rosenstrasse protest of 1943, which aimed to free Jewish husbands from jail and prevent their deportation.
Fateless
(Hungarian with English subtitles, Rated R)
2005
Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Nobel laureate Imre Kertész, the film follows the harrowing journey of a Hungarian Jewish teenager, György (Georg) Köves, as he experiences the horrors of the Holocaust, including his time in Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. Unlike other Holocaust films, Fateless focuses on the internal, psychological experience of the protagonist as he tries to make sense of the incomprehensible.
The Counterfeiters
(German with English subtitles, Rated R)
2007
The plot revolves around Operation Bernhard, a secret Nazi plan during World War II to destabilize the economies of the Allied powers by flooding them with counterfeit currency. The Nazis forcibly recruited skilled individuals imprisoned in the camps, including artists, printers, and forgers from concentration camps to produce fake British pounds and U.S. dollars. The protagonist, Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), lives a mischievous life of cards, booze, and women in Berlin during the Nazi-era. A master counterfeiter, he is arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Mauthausen Concentration camp in Austria. He is then transferred to Sachsenhausen in Germany, where he is coerced into working on the counterfeiting operation. While the Nazis reward the imprisoned involved with slightly better living conditions, Sorowitsch and other incarcerated people like him face moral dilemmas, struggling with their cooperation in the scheme, which indirectly supports the Nazi war effort.
Defiance
(Rated R)
2008
In 1941, Nazi soldiers are slaughtering Jews in Belarus by the thousands. The Bielski brothers, Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell), manage to escape and take refuge in the forest where they played in childhood. Seeking a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones, they form a community of Jewish refugees and wage guerrilla warfare against the occupying Nazi forces and their collaborators. The film highlights the moral dilemmas faced by the brothers as they struggle to protect the hundreds of Jews who joined their partisan group while also fighting for survival against both the Nazis and harsh conditions in the forest. Based on Nechama Tec's 1993 book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans.
The Reader
(Rated R)
2008
As Germany rebuilds itself in the wake of World War II, teenager Michael Berg (David Kross) meets Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), a bus conductor several years his senior. Their relationship is passionate. When Hanna abruptly moves away without informing him, Michael is heartbroken. Years later, while studying law at Heidelberg University, he is appalled to discover that Hanna is on trial for a brutal Nazi war crime.
Sarah's Key
(Rated PG-13)
2010
A faithful retelling of the 1942 "Vel' d'Hiv Roundup" in German-occupied Paris and the events surrounding it. The story follows journalist Julia Jarmond ( Kristin Scott Thomas), who is researching the 1942 Vel' d'Hiv Roundup, in which French authorities arrested thousands of Jewish families. While investigating, she uncovers the story of a young Jewish girl named Sarah Starzynski (Mélusine Mayance), whose family was taken during the roundup. Sarah's narrative reveals how she tried to protect her younger brother by locking him in a cupboard, with the intention of coming back to save him. However, circumstances prevent her return in time, and this tragic event haunts her life. The movie shifts between Julia’s present-day research and Sarah’s harrowing experience during the Holocaust.
The Book Thief
(Rated PG-13)
2013
An adaptation of the 2005 novel by Markus Zusak, the film relates the story of a young orphaned girl named Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nelisse), who is sent to live with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson), in a small German town during World War II. Struggling with the horrors of the war and the Nazi regime, Liesel finds solace in stealing books and sharing them with others, including a Jewish man named Max, whom her foster family hides in their basement. The film, like the novel, is narrated by Death, adding a haunting yet poetic tone to the story as it focuses on themes of resilience, the power of words and literature, friendship, and the moral choices people are forced to make during times of war.
Ida
(Rated PG-13)
(Polish with English subtitles)
2013
Set in Poland in 1962, it tells the story of a young woman named Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), a novice nun who is about to take her vows at a convent. Before doing so, her Mother Superior insists that she meet her only living relative, her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza). When Anna visits Wanda, she discovers that her real name is Ida Lebenstein, and she is Jewish. The two women embark on a road trip into the Polish countryside to learn the fate of their family, who were murdered during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The film explores themes of identity, religion, and the complex history of Poland during and after World War II, particularly in relation to the Holocaust and Communist rule.
Son of Saul
(Hungarian with English subtitles, Rated R)
2015
Set in Auschwitz-Birkenau, the film offers a harrowing and intimate portrayal of the Holocaust through the eyes of an imprisoned Jewish person, Saul Ausländer (Geza Rohrig), forced to work as a Sonderkommando in the camp’s gas chambers. This powerful and unsettling film, which takes place over two days, provides an intense, personal depiction of the Holocaust through a narrow yet emotionally charged lens. By focusing on one man’s seemingly irrational mission in the face of incomprehensible horror, the film asks deep questions about the nature of humanity, memory, and dignity in the most dehumanizing of circumstances. It’s a film that lingers long after the credits roll, challenging viewers to reflect on the human capacity for survival, meaning, and morality amid the worst of human atrocities.
Woman In Gold
(Rated PG-13)
2015
Sixty years after fleeing Vienna, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), an elderly Jewish woman, attempts to reclaim family possessions that were seized by the Nazis. Among them is a famous portrait of Maria's beloved Aunt Adele: Gustave Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I." With the help of young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), Maria embarks upon a lengthy legal battle to recover this painting and several others, but it will not be easy, for Austria considers them national treasures.
Denial
(Rated PG-13)
2016
Acclaimed writer and historian Deborah E. Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) must battle for historical truth to prove the Holocaust actually occurred when David Irving (Timothy Spall), a renowned denier, sues her for libel in British court.
The Zookeeper's Wife
(Rated PG-13)
2017
Set in Poland in 1939, Antonina Zabinski (Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh), run the Warsaw Zoo, which flourishes under Jan's stewardship and Antonina's care. When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are forced to report to the Reich's newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl). The Zabinskis covertly begin working with the Resistance and put into action plans to save the lives of hundreds from the Warsaw Ghetto.
Operation Finale
(Rated PG-13)
2018
Fifteen years after the end of World War II, a team of top-secret Israeli agents travels to Argentina to track down Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), the Nazi officer who masterminded the transportation logistics that brought millions of innocent Jews to their deaths in concentration camps. Hoping to sneak Eichmann out of the country to stand trial, agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) soon finds himself playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with the notorious war criminal.
The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm
(TV-PG)
2018
This 20-minute documentary film is a poignant and gentle introduction to the Holocaust for younger audiences, using archival footage, animation, and interviews to tell the story of survivor Jack Feldman and his 10-year-old great-grandson, Elliot. Jack explains the meaning behind the number tattooed on his arm, which was given to him when he arrived at Auschwitz. In a sensitive and age-appropriate manner, the film covers the harsh realities of Jack's suffering, his survival, and how he rebuilt his life after the war. It underscores the necessity of remembering and understanding the atrocities of the Holocaust to ensure they are never forgotten, especially as the survivors age and their firsthand testimonies become even valuable.
JoJo Rabbit
(Rated PG-13)
2019
This film is a satirical depiction of the experience of an enthusiastic 10-year-old Hitler Youth member, Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), who discovers to his great horror that his anti-Nazi mother (Scarlett Johannsson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic while his father is reportedly fighting with the Resistance in Italy. Jojo's imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi) is a childlike, exaggerated version of the dictator, represents Jojo's indoctrination and fanaticism. As Jojo gets to know Elsa, he goes on a journey that opens his eyes to the truths of the war as well as the ideals he has so passionately defended.
The Zone of Interest
(English and German with subtitles, Rated PG-13)
2023
The film, set in 1943, offers a chilling and unique perspective on the Holocaust, focusing on the banality of evil through the daily lives of the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife, Hedwig, as they strive to build a dream life for their family in a house right next to the concentration and extermination camp he helped create. Rather than depicting the atrocities of the Holocaust directly, the film emphasizes the psychological and emotional detachment of the perpetrators. The film’s central theme is the characters’ moral blindness as they go about their lives in the shadow of Auschwitz. The audience is confronted with the discomfort of watching characters who view genocide not as a moral crisis but as a background detail to their daily existence.
One Life
(Rated PG)
2023
Based on the true story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, the film alternates between following 79-year old Winton (Anthony Hopkins) reminiscing on his past, and 29-year old Winton (Johnny Flynn) who successfully helps 669 predominantly Jewish children in German-occupied Czechoslovakia to hide and flee in 1938–39. Often referred to as the "British Schindler," Winton's efforts were largely unknown for decades until they were uncovered in the late 1980s.
Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate
(TV-MA)
2024
This documentary delves into the lives of LGBTQ people in Germany during the reign of the Nazis, exploring the Eldorado, a queer night club in Berlin and many figures in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. The film also discusses the use of Paragraph 175 in Weimar Germany, in Nazi Germany, and in post-War West Germany.
