Fathom Events will partner with Warner Bros. Pictures to release filmmaker Daniela Völker’s documentary The Commander’s Shadow hits theaters in the US on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, with an encore the following day. Screenings will be available in over 500 theaters across the Fathom cinema network. Tickets go on sale today at Fathom Events and at participating theater box offices.
The Commander’s Shadow follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, as he confronts his father’s terrible legacy for the first time. His father was a camp commandant at Auschwitz and oversaw the murder of over a million Jews; The lives of Höss and his family were recently fictionalized in the Oscar-winning film The zone of interest. Now, The Commander’s Shadow tells the story of the real people who lived on site in the Höss extermination camp.
While Hans Jürgen Höß enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa in Auschwitz, the Jewish prisoner Anita Lasker-Wallfisch tried to survive the notorious concentration camp. At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment – eight decades later – when the two come face to face. This is the first time that the descendant of a major war criminal meets a survivor in such a private and intimate setting: Anita’s London living room. Together with their children Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, the four protagonists explore their very different inheritances.
The film shows original excerpts from Rudolf Höß’ long-forgotten autobiography, which he wrote shortly before his execution. His words are the ultimate proof of what really happened in Auschwitz, documented by the perpetrator himself, and represent a counterpoint to the denial and ignorance of the Holocaust.
This feature-length documentary explores the relationships of a mother and her daughter, a father and his son, and the long shadows left by the crimes that affect generations. It raises questions about love, guilt and forgiveness, but is ultimately a much-needed story of hope, acceptance and compassion.
“This documentary is an incredible look at the reality of Auschwitz from the perspective of those who experienced it in very different ways.” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. “We are thrilled to once again partner with Warner Bros. to bring this very important film to the big screen.”
Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, said: “We are always looking for opportunities to collaborate with our friends at Fathom, and ‘The Commandant’s Shadow’ is particularly worthy of an event-based theatrical release of this kind.” This real and Raw Documentary tells not one, but two truly moving stories that will touch the hearts and minds of viewers, and we are proud to share them with them through our Fathom program.”