Animated films about escape and persecution from the Second World War to the present day

"How many pictures do you need for one second of animation?" Asks the course instructor. The youngsters try to appreciate. In fact, around 25 frames per second are required to display fluid movement. In addition to creativity, working on an animated film also requires a lot of patience.

 

Our animation course started in September with two youth groups from Cologne. Under the guidance of professional animators, the participants create two animated films.

 

The planned project consists of two project phases.

 

The first phase of the project is characterized by encounters and personal conversations. Survivors of National Socialist persecution, their descendants and young refugees tell the project participants their life stories. This is how they learn Dr. Richard Reinisch, who was born in Krakow to Jewish parents. When the war broke out in 1939, he fled to the east, but soon returned to the vicinity of Krakow, where he had to hide. Then he went to Budapest with the help of a smuggler, where he saw the liberation of Budapest by the Red Army.

 

On the basis of such personal life stories, the animated films are then created in the second phase of the project. The young project participants now learn to capture static images, such as drawings or photos, and play them back in quick succession in order to imitate lifelike movements.

 

With the production of animated films, the Federal Association Information and Advice for Survivors of Nazi Persecution is increasingly targeting a young audience. The short animated films with the life stories of different people who have experienced escape and persecution are intended for publication on social media and for use in school lessons. Against the background of an in-depth look at history, values such as peacefulness, tolerance, openness and mutual respect should be expressed.