Exclusive: Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we can share a clip from our Rotterdam address Investigationa new screen adaptation of Peter Weiss’s breakout stage adaptation based on the Frankfurt Auschwitz experiments.
Directed by RP Kahl, the investigation will be screened this week at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Described as a 240-minute “hybrid project of film, theater and broadcast elements,” the film draws faithfully from Weiss’s play. Using notes from journalists and his own observations during the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials of 1963-1965, Weiss condensed the original judicial statements into a total of 11 chapters, to depict the hell on earth that unfolded during the trial. The original play, “Die Ermittlung Oratorio in 11 Cantos,” was performed simultaneously in 14 locations in 1965.
In Kahl’s film, eight fixed cameras capture 28 witnesses, represented by a nuanced cast of ethnically diverse actors, who report on the horrors experienced and observed in the camp. 11 other witnesses from the camp administration testify in court. The 18 defendants, represented by defense attorneys, face witness profiles during the trial and are expected to confess and atone for their crimes. However, they take little or no remorse, submitting to the horrors stoked by the defendants. The prosecutor and judge represent the court and conduct the trial.
Investigation It premiered in Berlin in July 2024 and received a traditional cinema release, with close cooperation with theatres, educational institutions, schools, foundations and the German Football League. Leonine has German rights while Radiant handles international sales.
Check out the clip above.
The Rotterdam Film Festival runs January 30 – February 9.
