SYNOPSIS
A documentary about the last living victims of the Nazi racial experiment.
In 1942, approximately thirty Slovenian babies were selected and stolen through a “racial selection” process and included in the notorious Nazi program called Lebensborn (Source of Life). This program was designed to promote the Aryan race and was led by Heinrich Himmler. As part of the program, babies were forcibly taken from their families across Europe and subsequently adopted by German couples who were perceived as loyal to the Nazi regime.
The film tells the story of four “children of the Lebensborn“: Ingrid Von Oelhafen from Germany, Haymo Henry Hayder from Costa Rica, Franc Zagožen from Belgium, and Ivan Acman from Slovenia.
The protagonists of the documentary serve as the last living witnesses to a horrific racial experiment that never resulted in punishment for those responsible for the Lebensborn program.
Each of them shares their unique journey of discovering the truth about their origins, accepting that truth, and ultimately finding inner peace.
By offering glimpses into the protagonists’ current lives and their ongoing awareness of global events, the film emphasizes that similar atrocities continue to occur, notably in Ukraine at the present moment.
REVIEWS
“The film ‘Snatched From The Source’… gets under our skin deeply and doesn’t let go. This is primarily thanks to the audio documents, film footages, and photographic material that take us straight back to the 1930s and 1940s. How much we wish that Maja Weiss’s film would be heard, and that trust in art and humanity could change the world.”
– Christoph Schütte, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“This is the best film about Lebensborn children I have ever seen. It left a profound impression on me. It uniquely portrays what was done to the stolen children and their families, how much they had to endure, and also how strong and courageous they were. It’s an accusation, a lesson, a call to humanity to finally stop such crimes against children.”
– Dr. Georg Lilienthal, historian and pioneer in Lebensborn research
“The film exposes the harrowing fates and life stories of four Slovenian children torn from their parents during World War II and thrown into the wheels of the Nazi racial and Germanization machinery led by the mysterious demographic organization Lebensborn. With an undistorted historical truth, it warns against any evil and violence caused by humans to fellow humans, especially during wartime and, most notably, to the most vulnerable individuals, such as children. At the same time, it conveys a message of deep humanity and faith in the power of survival, as well as forgiveness and reconciliation, both with others and with oneself.”
– Dr. Tone Kregar, historian and director of the Museum of Recent History Celje
“The film tells the story of four individuals who were abducted as small children in Slovenia by German occupiers in 1942. It narrates the search for their roots and takes us to the scenes: to the former Lebensborn home and the destructive Auschwitz camp, to the graves of unknown parents, and to the International Tracing Service archives where documents were found. It shows the strength of these four people, their wounds – and how, despite everything, they managed to have a good life. ‘Captured at the Source’ is an emotional, powerful film – and unexpectedly relevant. It should definitely be shown in Germany!”
– Dr. Dorothee Schmitz-Köster, journalist and author
SCREENING
Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt – Premiere in the frame of Frankfurt Book Fair, 18.10.2023
Documentary Film Festival, Ljubljana (competition / opening film), 13.3.2024
L’Europe autour de l’Europe (FEAE), France, April, 2024
CREATIVE CREW
Director and co-writer MAJA WEISS
Screenwriter NATAŠA KONC LORENZUTTI
Producer IDA WEISS
Editor JURIJ MOŠKON
Music AUGUST ADRIAN BRAATZ
Camera operators MITJA LIČEN, MATIC OBLAK, AMADEJ BRATUŽ
Location sound mixers GREGOR BAJC, TONKO SEKULO, GASTON SAENZ ESPINOZA, MATEVŽ SELAN
Re-recording mixer JULIJ ZORNIK
FEATURING
INGRID VON OELHAFEN
HAYMO HENRY HEYDER
FRANC ZAGOŽEN
IVAN ACMAN
DR. GEORG LILIENTHAL, DR. DOROTHEE SCHMITZ KÖSTER, GISELA HEIDENREICH, DR. TONE KREGAR, NATAŠA KONC LORENZUTTI in drugi
PRODUCTION
BELA FILM
in coproduction with SENCA STUDIO & RTV SLOVENIA & ZAVOD MAJA WEISS
Supported by
SLOVENIAN FILM CENTER
CREATIVE EUROPE – MEDIA PROGRAM
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
GERMAN EMBASSY LJUBLJANA
MUNICIPALITY OF CELJE
SLOVENIAN BOOK AGENCY
ASSOCIATION “LEBENSSPUREN E.V.” & VEREIONSKASSE
Special thanks: THE SOCIETY OF NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS’ SURVIVORS OF STOLEN CHILDREN OF SLOVENIA, Dr. Janez Žmavc, President.
MUSEUM OF RECENT HISTORY CELJE
FESTIVALI
Festival dokumentarnega filma, Ljubljana (tekmovalni program / otvoritveni film), 13.3.2024
L’Europe autour de l’Europe (FEAE), Francija, April, 2024
