WATERMARKS
by Yaron Zilberman
SYNOPSIS
WATERMARKS is the story of the champion women swimmers of the legendary Jewish sports club Hakoah Vienna. Hakoah was founded in 1909 in response to the notorious Aryan Paragraph, which forbade Austrian sports clubs from accepting Jewish athletes. After the Anschluss in 1938, the Nazis shut down the club, but the swimmers managed to flee the country before the war broke out. Sixty-five years later, director Yaron Zilberman meets members of the women’s swim team in their homes and arranges for them to have a reunion in their old swimming pool.
DETAILS
77 mins
2004
Israel
Hebrew, English, German
TRAILER
CREDITS
Director & Writer: Yaron Zilberman
Producers: Yonatan Israel, Yaron Zilberman, Philippa Kowarsky, Paul Rozenberg
Executive Producer: Amir Ben Zion, Robert Danial, Shlomo Israel
Cinematographer: Tom Hurwitz
Editor: Ruben Korenfeld, Yuval Shar
Sound Designer: Ira Spiegel
BIOGRAPHY
DIRECTOR - YARON ZILBERMAN
Yaron Zilberman is an Israeli director and scriptwriter. He was born in Haifa, grew up in Jerusalem and moved to the USA when he was in his twenties. He studied physics and operational research at MIT. Zilberman made his directorial debut with his theatrical feature documentary Watermarks (2004), which follows the champion women swimmers of Hakoah Vienna as they reunite at their old swimming pool 65 years after they were forced by the Nazis to flee Austria. Watermarks won nine film festival awards and enjoyed a successful theatrical run internationally. Zilberman directed, co-wrote and produced A Late Quartet (2012) which starred Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, Mark Ivanir and Imogen Poots. The film premiered in the Special Presentation program at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He lives in New York City with his wife, producer Tamar Sela, and their children.
SELECT FESTIVALS
JERUSALEM FILM FESTIVAL 2004 - BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD〡VIENNALE 2004 - SPECIAL MENTION〡PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2004 - AUDIENCE AWARD〡THESSALONIKI 2005〡HOT DOCS 2005〡RENCONTRES INTERNATIONALES DE CINEMA PARIS 2005 - GRAND PRIX DU PUBLIC〡NEW YORK JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2005〡KIEV DOCUMENTARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2005 – GRAND PRIX〡DOCUPOLIS BARCEKONA 2005〡SAO PAOLO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2005
PRESS
"A moving documentary that approaches the Holocaust from a fresh, intimate perspective."
- New York Times
"Snappy, affecting documentary... sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching and persistently bittersweet, tale is a fascinating account of strength and solidarity, bolstered by vintage photos, edifying newsreels and winningly frank interviews."
- Variety
“A beautiful and humane documentary... using a remarkably rich collection of archival sources and contemporary interviews... their grace and dignity as they disrobe and begin to glide through the pool are enough to make even a reviewer misty."
- The Nation