Transport XX face to face | 2012 edition

Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition .
A video impression filmed February 2009 , of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
The TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels was organised from 27 January to 15 March 2009 by the BELvue Museum in collaboration with the JMDR / Kazerne Dossin. The photographic portraits were displayed outside in the Royal park in Brussels (opposite the Royal Palace).

On April 19, 1943 at 10 p.m. the 20th train convoy departed the Dossin barracks (Kazerne Dossin) in Mechelen (Belgium) with 40 cattle cars crammed with 1631 Jewish men, women and children for Auschwitz (Poland). The in Belgium captured Jews were over 90% ‘foreigners’ (with no Belgian nationality) who either when war broke out or (many) years earlier had fled from mainly Eastern Europe, Germany and Holland to Belgium. Half an hour after the departure of this transport XX three young Belgians from Brussels, Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau stopped the train between Boortmeerbeek and Haacht, opened one of the cars and liberated 17 prisoners. Later before the train reaches the German border over 200 other prisoners decide to attempt to escape and also jump out of the cars. In total 236 people were able to escape, but 26 were shot and killed trying to escape.
This 20th transport arrived at Auschwitz on April 22 with 1395 deportees. Only approximately 151 of those on board survived this and later death camps. This was the only documented attack on a death train during the Shoah.
More on Transport XX – including the documentary film Transport XX to Auschwitz – at my web site here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/ .

TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels | 2009 film .
First film edition “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels”.
A first edition of this film entitled “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels” was published on 19 april 2009 via my YouTube channel – and that version was also added in 2009 to the collection of the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (Mechelen, Belgium).

Transport XX face to face | 2010 film .
The 2nd edition named “Transport XX face to face” has some editing corrections and a new title and credits.
This edition was first published October 2010 in the 7th round of the New Arrivals 2010 / 2011 of the dutch ‘NTR’ broadcaster: http://www.kortefilmonline.ntr.nl , and uploaded January 2011 at my Vimeo channel and at my now obsolete YouTube channel iClip. Remake 2010 film.
A remake at higher resolution , was published June 9, 2020.

Transport XX face to face | 1 minute film .
The 2010 second edition was used for the special 1 minute production “Transport XX face to face” selected in 2010 by The One Minutes and the dutch Museum of National History (innl) – see post 20200607.

A DVD edition of that one minute film was screened at the book presentation April 2012 ‘Het XXste Transport naar Auschwitz’ by Marc Michiels & Mark Van den Wijngaert at the Boortmeerbeek townhall (note a new edition was published last year , ISBN 978 90 5908 980 8 ) , and next at the 2012 Transport XX commemoration and the war photography exhibition ‘Our World, at War’ from April 16 – May 31 , 2012 in the HaBoBIB public library in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium.

Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition .
This edition presented here is the 2012 film that was reworked – the opening and closing street scenes were deleted – and published April 2012 as Transport XX face <> face (2012 film) online via Vimeo , and distributed in a limited DVD edition of both that film version and also a ‘loop’ version of the film, to the Boortmeerbeek commemoration organization (together with the 1 minute film DVD edition – see above).

Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition | 20200611 release
Today (20200611) this 2012 edition is published in higher resolution as part of my project to republish former Vimeo uploads at my YouTube channel (both to improve and secure screening and archiving).

More on the several editions (including a musical version) are posted at my web site here : https://michelvanderburg.com/2009/04/19/transport-xx-installation-brussels/ .

Credits.
The Kazerne Dossin ( http://www.kazernedossin.eu/ ) digitalised the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files” ( http://www.arch.be/ ) .
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (Belgium) and project “Give them a Face” which aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.

Film : Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition – 20200611 release | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media .