Film Screening: They Played for Their Lives

Through intimate interviews and live performances, They Played for Their Lives artfully portrays how music saved the lives of young musicians in the ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocaust. Playing music fostered spiritual strength within themselves and others, and often proved a bargaining tool that spared their lives. The documentary follows the narratives of eight survivors, all unique stories that illustrate the power of music to sustain the human soul. At the end of the war their lives unfold in surprising ways, yet music remains at the core of their memory and legacy. Charcoal illustrations, a live piano performance by 106-year old survivor, and a moving reunion of two boys who searched for each other for 66-years, make this compelling viewing.

View the trailer here.