Film illuminates family and culture

HARMONY Fest is set to highlight Ballarat’s diverse community from next week, and the Eureka Centre is participating in celebrations.

Displaced by Jewish French Israeli filmmaker and Ballarat resident Sharon Ryba-Kahn is set for screening as part of the festival.

The film explores her story and family history after she reconnects with her estranged father.

“My grandparents are holocaust survivors, and my grandfather specifically was an Auschwitz survivor,” she said.

“There comes a moment when one has the opportunity to ask questions to one’s parents about why they became the people they are, and I felt like no matter how bad our relationship is, and even though he didn’t raise me, I wanted to understand where I came from, my father, and what made him.

“Any person that wants to essentially understand where they come from in terms of historical, cultural backgrounds will identify with the story, especially when it deals with the question of collective trans-generation trauma.

“Take the Jewish context and substitute it to your own history, and I think you can identify with it. That’s the beauty of making cinema and I will love to see how people react to it here.”

Ryba-Kahn was born in Germany and has been in the arts since she was 18.

She started acting in the US and France before taking a detour through literature, cultural studies, and visual anthropology in Berlin, which steered her towards filmmaking and directing.

“My very first film is called Recognition which deals with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and after that, I got accepted into one of the most prestigious film schools in Germany, Film University Babelsberg,” she said.

“That’s where I made Displaced. It was fully funded by a public TV channel and it’s been a journey since. Now I’m working on three projects, and I’m happy to be here.

“My partner brought me to Ballarat, but I’m also doing a PhD on Indigenous Australian documentary cinema, which is practice-based, and deals with how to represent someone who is not yourself.

“I deal with that question being a Jewish woman. It’s very important for me to be facing all the political and historical realities.”

Displaced will be screened at the Eureka Centre on Sunday, 19 March at 3pm, followed by a discussion between Melbourne Holocaust Museum manager of collections and research Dr Anna Hirsh, and Ryba-Kahn.