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The Essential Link: The Story of Wilfrid Israel

“Never in my life have I come in contact with a being so noble, so strong or as selfless as Wilfrid Israel.” - Albert Einstein

Wilfrid Israel, the owner of Berlin's largest department store and a member of one of Germany’s most prominent Jewish families at the time of Hitler’s rise to power, was one of the great saviors of Jews during the Holocaust.

He helped save thousands of Jewish children through the Kindertransport operation, and secured escape for hundreds of his employees and their family members from Nazi Germany.

The previously unknown story of this extraordinary man, becomes very personal as filmmaker Yonatan Nir takes us on an adventure as he searches for the mysterious hero, and the real reasons for his disappearance from history.

  • Yonatan Nir
    Director
    My Hero Brother, Dolphin Boy
  • Noam Shalev
    Producer
    Jerusalem The Movie
  • Ophir Baer
    Producer
  • Yonatan Nir
    Producer
    My Hero Brother, Dolphin Boy
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Bio, History
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 11, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    Israel
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany, Israel
  • Language:
    English, German, Hebrew
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Santa Barbara International Film Festival
    Santa Barbara, California
    United States
    February 1, 2018
  • DocAviv International Film Festival
    Tel Aviv
    Israel
    May 12, 2017
    Israeli Premiere
  • Scottsdale International Film Festival
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    United States
  • Awareness Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
  • Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    United States
    November 6, 2017
    Audience Award
Director Biography - Yonatan Nir

Award-winning filmmaker Yonatan Nir has been telling stories for over a decade – from epic photojournalist reports, to the critically acclaimed Dolphin Boy (2011) which was acquired by Disney Pictures and screened in over 130 film festivals, he successfully captures and portrays unique relationships formed between man and nature. After joining Hey Jude Productions in 2008, Nir went on to direct and produce Beyond the Boundaries (2011), Cutting the Pain (2012), and My Hero Brother (2016). Nir is also a highly demanded speaker and film professor and has given over 500 lectures in Israel and around the world.

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