This documentary film by Daniel von Aarburg is presented by the Embassy of Hungary in Canada.
Carl Lutz, an Appenzell diplomat and second-in-command at the Swiss Embassy in Budapest, saved tens of thousands of persecuted Hungarian Jews from death during World War II. His humanitarian action is considered the greatest civil rescue operation of Jews during the Holocaust. Lutz negotiated directly and shrewdly with Adolf Eichmann, the deviser of the Holocaust. During this rescue operation, the married Vice-Consul fell in love with one of his protégés. After the end of the war, he divorced his wife, married his beloved in Budapest and moved with her and her daughter to Berne. Instead of being thanked by his country, he was chided for excess of authority and splashing out on his expense account. Until his death, Lutz fought bitterly and vainly for his “rehabilitation”.
Agnes Hirschi, his “Hungarian” stepdaughter, tells the incredible story of Carl Lutz at the original locations in Budapest. The story is complemented by statements of contemporary witnesses from all around the world, who survived the Holocaust thanks to Carl Lutz’s help. Photographs and 16mm films made by Carl Lutz in those years confer visual authenticity to the film.
Duration: 91 minutes
Original version with English sub-titles