Holocaust Remembrance Day | Cinema

THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN

ANDRA AND TATI’S STAR | SERGIO’S STORY

Synopsis:

Andra and Tati’s Star

Andra and Tati’s Star tell the true story of sisters Andra and Tatiana Bucci, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau during World War II at the ages of 4 and 6, along with part of their family. Upon arrival at the concentration camp with their mother, aunt, grandmother, and cousin Sergio, who is the same age as the girls, the two children are separated from the adults and taken to the Kinderblock, where they meet other children.

At Auschwitz-Birkenau, Andra and Tati lose first their grandmother and then their cousin Sergio, but thanks also to the help of the block overseer assigned to watch over them, they manage to survive until the camp’s liberation. They are then transferred first to Prague and later to England, where they are reunited with their parents.

The story intertwines with that of a group of schoolchildren from today on a field trip to the same concentration camp. Among them is Carlo, the school bully, who constantly bothers his classmate, Matteo. As the visit progresses, Carlo’s behavior begins to change.

Voice Cast:

• Adult Andra: Loretta Goggi

• Adult Tatiana: Ludovica Modugno

• Giovanni: Leo Gullotta

• Mira: Laura Morante

Awards:

• Xiamen International Animation Award (China)

• ROCKIE AWARD 2019 for Youth and Children Animation at Banff Festival, Canada

• Moige Award 2019 (Parents’ Movement) for Best Animated Product

• Jury Prize at the Mundi Festival, Poland

• Youth Jury Prize at the Mundi Festival, Poland

• Special Jury Prize at the Spello Film Festival

• Finalist at the Annecy Festival, Boston Jewish Festival, and Cartoons on the Bay

Directors: Rosalba Vitellaro and Alessandro Belli
Production: RAI Ragazzi and Larcadarte – in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR)
Executive Production: Larcadarte
Story By: Alessandra Viola, Rosalba Vitellaro
Screenplay: Valentina Mazzola, Alessandra Viola, Rosalba Vitellaro
Art Direction: Annalisa Corsi
Animation Direction: Enrico Paolantonio for Linx
Historical Supervision: Marcello Pezzetti – Shoah Museum Foundation
Supported by: IHRA – International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and UNICEF Italy

Sergio’s Story

The film is freely adapted from the novel Sergio’s Story by Andra and Tatiana Bucci with Alessandra Viola (Rizzoli 2020), in collaboration with Rizzoli Publishing.

Synopsis:
Sergio is six years old when he is deported to Auschwitz with his family and his cousins Andra and Tati, to whom he is very close. At the camp, Sergio is separated from his mother and then convinced to move to the Neuengamme camp through a cruel deception – the promise of being reunited with her.

Despite the sadness of the situation, the child remains buoyed by unwavering optimism: he will finally see his mother again! With him are many other children, including Mania, his favorite. Only Marek suspects that something is not as it seems: his mother was at Auschwitz, and he saw her just before leaving. Where are they taking them then?

Decades later, the story intertwines with that of German journalist Günther Schwarberg, who decides to investigate for his newspaper the tragic fate of twenty children used as test subjects for medical experiments during World War II. Günther reads the testimonies from the trial against those responsible for the massacre in which the children lost their lives at Neuengamme and, together with his wife Barbara Hüsing, a lawyer, dedicates himself to discovering the names of the twenty children – of whom only initials are known – and tracing their families.

Production: German Embassy in Italy – National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) – Department of Education of the Sicily Region – Larcadarte Cartoons srl – Andra and Tatiana Bucci – Public Crowdfunding
Executive Producer: Larcadarte Cartoons srl
Production Coordination: Lynx MF
Story By: Alessandra Viola, Rosalba Vitellaro
Director: Rosalba Vitellaro
Art Direction: Annalisa Corsi
Music: Davide Caprelli