Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust

Daniel Anker’s 90-minute documentary takes on over 60 years of a very complex subject: Hollywood’s complicated, often contradictory relationship with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. The questions it raises go right the very nature of how film functions in our culture, and while hardly exhaustive, Anker’s film makes for a good, thought provoking starting point.

Directed by Daniel Anker, Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust leans on a strong ensemble — Gene Hackman, Norma Barzman, Michael Berenbaum — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2004.