Ieva Balsiūnaitė

Riedėjo gniūžtė į Pietus

Ieva Balsiūnaitė

Almost all Jews in South Africa originally came from Lithuania. As early as the 19th century, a handful of them reached the shores of South Africa. Those who made the trip became successful artists, entrepreneurs and activists, while those who stayed behind were massacred by Nazis and Lithuanian collaborators. The film explores how these bittersweet circumstances have constructed the identities of South African Litvaks. Personal recounts and anecdotes paint the tragedy of the Holocaust, hopes of a new life in South Africa, as well as unique bonds for the future. (Lithuanian Film Center)