SPOKANE, Wash. — The story of 101-year-old Holocaust survivor Carla Peperzak can now be viewed as a documentary thanks to a local filmmaker.
“It’s called Carla the Rescuer. And it’s because of what she did during World War II that helped so many people. So many people are alive because of her today, which that deserves a lot of honor,” said Clement Lye, the associate director of production at Gonzaga University.
Lye began filming and directing the documentary in February of 2022 when construction began on Peperzak Middle School. This is Lye’s first film and he did not expect it to be a feature length documentary at first.
“The documentary itself is first hand account straight from Carla. So it’s mostly her account of what her experiences were during World War II, what she did to resist and to rescue others,” Lye said.
Along with Lye, Dr. Kristine Hoover and Carla Peperzak herself helped in creating the film as its producers.
The film also lets viewers hear from family members and historians about this historic moment in world history.
Lye said Carla wants this film to be educational and hopefully find its way into school curriculum.
“To hear her tell the story and how she still goes around the schools and I got a lot of footage from her speaking of different schools. And she she is just a powerful dynamic person. So it was just like capturing lightning,” Lye said.
The film will premiere at the Spokane Jewish Film Festival in the Magic Lantern Theater on January 25. There will be a Q&A session with Carla herself following the premiere.
“I hope that the response and everybody will will take a look at her life because it’s it’s incredible. And she still fights to this day at 101 years old. She still speaks to people,” said Lye.
To learn more about the film and watch the official trailer, click here.
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