Performer Page

Filmmaker Michael Turner brings us on a deeply personal journey as he documents his first visit to a memorial created by his grandmother, a survivor of Auschwitz, dedicated to her family members who perished during the Holocaust. Monument seamlessly weaves together an intimate family story with ongoing discussions examining memory preservation through monuments and memorials, as well as the dissemination of history in public spaces. As Michael and his camera travel from Budapest into the Hungarian countryside, retracing his grandmother's roots and the Jewish community's tenuous existence, they reveal a Jewish population living in a delicate balance between hiding and survival. Through visits to basement archives and makeshift synagogues, we’re introduced to Hungarians from diverse faiths and backgrounds who are dedicated to safeguarding this cultural memory. The result is a profoundly moving and poetic account of a familial bond and shared commitment to preserving their collective memory.