“UnBroken,” an award-winning documentary by debut filmmaker Beth Lane, will make its local debut at the Glenwood Arts Theatre. The showing will be on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
Produced by The Weber Family Arts Foundation, “UnBroken” tells the true story of the seven Weber siblings, ages 6-18, who evaded capture and death and ultimately escaped Nazi Germany relying solely on their youthful bravado and the kindness of strangers following their mother’s incarceration and murder at Auschwitz. After being hidden in a laundry hut by a German farmer and his wife, the children spent two years on their own in war-torn Germany. Emboldened by their father’s mandate that they “always stay together,” the children used their own instincts to fight through hunger, loneliness, rape, bombings and fear. Separated from their father, the siblings are forced to declare themselves orphans to escape to a new life in America. Unbeknownst to them, this salvation would become what would finally tear them apart, not to be reunited for another 40 years.
Filmmaker Beth Lane, daughter of the youngest Weber sibling, worked to retrace their steps, seeking answers to long-held questions about her family’s survival. Through interviews, animation and on-the-ground exploration across Germany and America, Lane uncovers not only her family’s legacy but a message of defiant love in the face of hatred.
“UnBroken” is Beth Lane’s feature directorial debut, and it is both a professional milestone and a personal quest to immortalize the story of the Weber siblings’ survival as the only family of seven Jewish siblings living in Nazi Germany known to have survived and emigrated together to the United States.
“I wasn’t trying to make a political or religious statement when I set out to tell this story,” Lane said. “‘UnBroken’ is something much more personal — it’s a spiritual confession. I created it as an antidote to hate, a way to build bridges between communities, and a chance for audiences to exercise their muscles of empathy and compassion…
“I genuinely believe ‘UnBroken’ carries a message that is both timely and timeless — it’s necessary. And I trust that after audiences witness my mother and her siblings’ journey, the story will stay with them — not just as a reflection, but as a call to feel more deeply, to care more fiercely and most of all, to stand up for one another. That’s why I’m especially excited to bring ‘UnBroken’ home to Kansas City — where ‘Big Sonia’ [Warshawski] calls her home. A legend in the film world, Sonia is a cultural icon, and the community in Kansas City has proven to be a place that respects cultural differences and believes in love over hate.”
Tickets are available at fineartsgroup.com/movie/unbroken. More information about “UnBroken” is available at bethlane.com/unbroken.
