- About Six Million for Six MillionProduction company, launch flix, is partnering with their fiscal sponsor, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, to produce a short film called Becoming Henry (formerly Bashert.)
Our original concept was that if we could collect a dollar a person, we could educate, raise awareness and money for our film project at the same time. Our initial feature film budget was estimated at six million dollars, the amount of Jewish victims in the Holocaust. We have since decided to shoot a short film so we can keep our commitment to Henry to tell his story. The short will be in film festivals in 2013.
You can still donate here. Click on the blue button the right that says “Donate Now.” Then choose “Bashert: A Short Film by Stephanie Houser” in the drop down menu for the “Designation” option half way down the page.
Message from the Filmmaker
I first read Henry Oertelt’s book, An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust in April, 2008. It changed my life. I had never learned about the Holocaust formally in school and it occurred to me that neither did millions of other kids in the U.S. Henry had a non-violent, informative, engaging story – one that I thought would make a terrific film, and teaching tool.
It’s our responsibility, and my honor and privilege to share Henry’s story with the world to do my part in teaching acceptance and hope. Thanks for your support – whether you are interested in spreading the word through an email or social media (you’ll see links on the right margin) donating, acting, working on the crew, or later, going out to see the film in the theater or arranging a screening in your community. You, are a link, in our Unbroken Chain.
Henry was a dear friend of mine. I met Henry in 2001 when he agreed to talk to my choir students about his book. My school bought a copy of his book for all 160 of my choir students. He fell in love with my students and we did various projects together from 2001-2006. My daughter, who grew up knowing Henry and Inge, was so moved by Henry’s story that she had Henry’s words “If you must hate, hate hate” tattooed down her spine in Hebrew. Henry saw the pictures and couldn’t believe that she had done this. I know he put the pictures I sent him on his site and shared how moved he was by the gesture. Tevia, my daughter, shares this story with many people and says how not hating is the backbone of her life and that Henry and his book had everything to do with that. He was a part of our life and he played a huge part in the upbringing of my two daughters. He even wrote my girls letters telling them what was most important in life and how to forgive and move on when times get tough. Thanks for giving me a space to share these memories. I pray that all the money will be raised for this project.