Fingal Film Festival Poster

Irish Festival: Surviving Auschwitz to open Fingal Film Festival

Fingal Film Festival PosterWith only one month until the 2015 Fingal Film Festival kicks off, the festival team are excited about a great line up of events for film enthusiasts and filmmakers alike. This year’s opening night premiere film, Surviving Auschwitz will have its official launch in Ireland ahead of its 2016 release date and it is hoped that the cast and crew will be in attendance. The festival takes place in Movies@Swords from September 25th to 27th.

Surviving Auschwitz is a true story, based on one man’s fight for survival. The film tells the astonishing, harrowing and incredible moving story of a Tunisian Jewish boxer, who became the World Flyweight Champion in 1931 and 1932. Perez started training as a boxer at age 14 along with his older brother Benjamin “Kid”. Perez rose to great fame via the help and guidance of Leon Bellier and had a brief relationship with French-Italian actress Mireille Balin. The 5’1″, 110-pound Perez won the International Boxing Union’s version of the World Flyweight crown with a 2nd-round knockout of American champion Frankie Genaro, ergo becoming the youngest world champion in boxing history! Perez was arrested in Paris on September 21, 1943 and detained in the Drancy internment camp France, before being transported to Auschwitz where he was assigned to the Monowitz to serve as a slave labourer Victor Perez arrived at Auschwitz on October 10, 1943, as part of “Transport 60” a group of 1,000. Whilst there he was forced to participate in boxing matches for the amusement of the Nazis. By 1945. Victor had survived 140 bouts in 15 months and won 139. Perez was one of the prisoners on the “Death March” that left the camp on January 18, 1945.

[quote title=”Dave Byrne – Fingal Film Festival, Creative Director”]A film by director Jacques Ouaniche, Surviving Auschwitz stars Brahim Asloum, Isabella Orsini and Bruce Payne and is distributed by High Fliers Distribution and Picture Tree International. This film encompasses everything that we as a film festival are about. Promoting real talent and bringing unique, cultural and inspirational films to cinema goers in the area of Fingal.[/quote]

Tickets for the Opening Night film event are limited so book early. Tickets can be purchased via tickets.ie, with an early bird deal on all screenings for tickets purchased before 8th September 2015.