Tuesday, January 27 | 6:30 pm (doors open at 6:00 pm)
Italian Culture Institute @INNOVIT
710 Sansome St, San Francisco
SHLOMO’S BREATH (Il Respiro di Shlomo)
Directed by Ruggero Gabbai
With Shlomo Venezia, Mario Venezia, Beatrice Prasquier
Italy, Documentary, 2023, 58 min
In Italian with English subtitles
Free admission with reservation
On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Italian Culture Institute San Francisco promotes a moment of reflection and remembrance to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, through the screening of the documentary film Shlomo’s Breath (Il Respiro di Shlomo).
Produced by the Fondazione Museo della Shoah of Rome, the film explores the trauma of forced displacement, the loss of one’s community and familiar world, the unbearable grief of losing loved ones, and the struggle to survive amid constant death. The documentary portrays Shlomo Venezia, Jewish Holocaust survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, whose intelligence, foresight, and ability to read situations, along with the guidance of more experienced fellow deportees, were crucial to his survival.
The film brings together testimonies by Holocaust historian and film author Marcello Pezzetti alongside Shlomo’s own memories, recorded by the author and the director for the CDEC (Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea) nearly 30 years ago. Shlomo’s voice leads the narrative, allowing viewers to retrace his experience through a precious work of historical reconstruction.
The screening will be introduced by a recorded video message from the director.