A new documentary detailing the experiences of several survivors of a German concentration camp during World War Two will be shown this (Tuesday) afternoon in Des Moines. The movie called “I Only Wanted To Live” will play for free at the Des Moines Public Library’s new central branch, where Kathie Swift is the educational site coordinator.
Swift says the 75-minute film traces nine survivors of Auschwitz during the Holocaust in Italy, following their lives before, during and after the war. She says it’s a rare opportunity to see this film which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival a few weeks ago. It was directed by acclaimed director Mimmo Calopresti who selected clips from hundreds of Italians’ testimonies and using archival footage and personal photos.
Swift says the film traces the lives of the nine survivors, including individual stories of deportation, separation, suffering and their final liberation. Swift says “This will be a strong film. It will have English subtitles, but it will show a lot of light on what happened in Auschwitz and what happened to people during the war.”
The free screening is at 4:30 P.M. Tuesday. The film has been nominated for Best Feature Length Documentary in Italy’s competition that’s comparable to the Academy Awards in the U.S. For more information, surf to “www.desmoineslibrary.com”.