In 1973, French journalist Claude Lanzmann began work on a film about the Holocaust that would change his life forever.
Twelve years later, having shot more than 220 hours of footage, the maverick filmmaker finally completed SHOAH, his nearly 10-hour-long masterpiece, which today ranks among the greatest documentaries ever created. In CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH, the iconoclast opens up for the first time about the trials and tribulations he faced while creating his magnum opus, and the weight it left him carrying.
In addition to his years spent tracking down Nazi officials and traumatized death camp survivors, the filmmaker also discusses his teenage years fighting in the French Resistance, his relationship with existential philosophers Simone de Beauvoir and Jean‐Paul Sartre, and his hopes and expectations for the future, as Emmy®-winning composer Joel Goodman (THE STAIRCASE, Q BALL, THE CURVE) provides a poignant and moving original score.
In addition to its Academy Award® nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject (2016), the film was nominated for an IDA Award, a Cinema Eye Honors prize, a British Grierson Award, two Banff Rockies, four Canadian Screen Awards, and many other honours. CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH was an official selection of more than 30 international film festivals and is the only major documentary to be made during the life of the late French filmmaker, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 92.
In 2025, to mark the film’s 10th anniversary, an Extended Director’s Version of the film is set to be released, adding an additional 18 minutes of material.
Based upon the European cut of the film, made for ZDF Germany and ARTE France, this extended version restores the film’s original title – LA MORT ET L’AMOUR DE CLAUDE LANZMANN (THE DEATH AND LOVE OF CLAUDE LANZMANN) – and delves further into the auteur’s challenges in making SHOAH, while also taking a deeper dive into his relationship with de Beauvoir. This new cut is an alternative, rather than definitive, version of the film. At 60 minutes, it is a slower and more meditative take on the story, offering a reflective look at Mr. Lanzmann’s cinematic journey.
Written, produced and directed by Adam Benzine. Co-Produced by Kimberley Warner. Edited by Tiffany Beaudin. Original Music by Joel Goodman. Executive Producer: Nick Fraser. Associate Producers: Halim Benzine, Kelsey Irvine, Alex Ordanis. An HBO Documentary Films presentation of a ZDF co-production, in collaboration with ARTE, with support from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) and the Shaw Media-Hot Docs Funds.
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