Private Project

No Secret Monuments

Jewish Edmonton activist Paula Kirman and her creative partner Adam Bentley toured the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) and Finland, where they exposed monuments to Nazis and their collaborators hiding in plain sight.

They discovered a history-drenched frontier where, in our collective recent memory, this region faced two consecutive authoritarian occupations (Nazism and Soviet Communism). However, there is much more condemnation of the Soviet occupation than the Nazi occupation. In fact, the land is absolutely filled with monuments, place names, and reverence to Nazis and their collaborators.

Why can't the Baltic States, countries now a part of the European Union with its common understanding of continental history, let go of its reverence for World War II Nazis and their local collaborators?

  • Paula Kirman
    Director
  • Adam Bentley
    Writer
  • Adam Bentley
    Producer
  • Paula Kirman
    Key Cast
  • Bar Lavy
    Editor
  • Gareth Gilliland
    Composer/Sound Mixer
  • Edmonton Arts Council
    Funding
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Historical, World War II, Holocaust, Jewish, Baltics, Controversial Monuments
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 CAD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Finland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Distribution Information
  • #YEGFilm
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Paula Kirman

Paula E. Kirman (MLIS, B.Ed) is a lifelong Edmontonian who is a writer, editor, photographer, filmmaker, musician, and community organizer. She is a freelance communications professional and digital storyteller who works mostly with non-profit organizations and community media. Paula has received numerous awards for her community and media work, including the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal and Human Rights Champion award from the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. Her Jewish heritage often informs Paula’s artistic work. Away from the laptop and cameras, Paula enjoys walking, reading non-fiction, enjoying music (both live and recorded), drinking coffee, and spending time with family and friends.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

After producing two attention-grabbing, grant-funded short documentaries exposing controversial monuments to Nazis and their collaborators in Edmonton – A Monumental Secret (2018) and Monumental Secrets (2022) – Paula and Adam ventured far overseas to answer the question:

How can the Baltic States, countries now a part of the European Union with its common understanding of continental history, have trouble letting go of its reverence for World War II Nazis and their local collaborators?