Back to the Fatherland from filmmakers Kat Rohrer and Gil Levanon, follows the journey of three families in transition; Israeli grandchildren from the “Third Generation” and their respective grandparents. The film deals with both sides of the historic tragedy and the attempt to build their own future, without ignoring the past.
The award-winning documentary will open theatrically in New York on Friday, June 14 (Cinema Village) and Los Angeles on Friday, June 28 with a national release to follow.
Gil and Kat, both filmmakers, struck up a friendship during their time at college in New York City ten years ago. Gil comes from Israel, Kat from Austria. Their families’ history is strikingly different. Gil is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, Kat is one of a Nazi officer.
The exodus of many young secular Israelis to Germany and Austria prompt Gil and Kat to embark on a journey: to find other grandchildren of Holocaust survivors who had moved to Germany and Austria and learn how their grandparents reacted to that decision. Could returning to the site of their pain decades ago create reconciliation between generations?
In 2002, filmmaker Kat Rohrer founded her New York based production company, GreenKat Productions. Since then Kat has directed and produced more the ten short films, music videos, documentaries, and a wide variety of industrials and commercials. Kat acted as DP on the feature length documentary “Larry Flint: The Right to Be Left Alone”, which screened worldwide and has been aired on IFC. Her last documentary “Fatal Promises,” which deals with Human Trafficking, has been shown across the US and Europe in film festivals, anti-trafficking and fundraising events and college campuses.
Filmmaker Gil Levanon has been writing, producing and directing award winning commercials, industrial and short films for over fifteen years. After completing her BFA in directing and graduating with honors from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, she associate produced in The Rolling Stones Showfor MTV and later associate produced promos for USA Network ,NBC. Her short film “Manfred” won second place in the Israeli Documentary Challenge Competition and screened in Cinematheques around Israel.