Documentary / Educational
Directed by: Sadrolin ‘Sadri’ Tam

Written by: Kevin Benn
Produced by: Pimetra Productions AB
Runtime: 27 min

 

Description: Auschwitz '96 documents a group of young students from Art Media House as they embark on a journey to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site. What begins as a school trip soon becomes a deeply personal confrontation with the magnitude of the Holocaust. The camera follows the students through barracks, gas chamber ruins, railway tracks, archival displays, and the silent, vast spaces that once witnessed industrialized genocide. Their reactions - spoken and unspoken - reveal the emotional weight of encountering history not through textbooks, but through physical space and lived memory.

Interwoven with these moments are the students' own reflections, recorded in candid conversations, interviews, and private observations. They attempt to grasp the scale of the suffering, the mechanisms of dehumanization, and the human stories behind the numbers. Their voices form a collective emotional narrative that illustrates how historical atrocities resonate within a new generation, forcing them to question their own values, responsibilities, and understanding of the world.

The film also situates their experience within the broader context of Holocaust education. By showing real students processing the shock, disbelief, sorrow, and moral awakening that such a place evokes, Auschwitz '96 becomes more than a documentary - it becomes a learning tool that bridges past and present. Teachers across Sweden later used the film to introduce students to the Holocaust in a way that feels immediate, human, and relevant.

Through its intimate approach and sincere documentation of youth confronting historical trauma, Auschwitz '96 stands as an important early work in Sadrolin Tam's long commitment to education, cultural reflection, and the preservation of memory.