The JIFF will host the Australia premiere of our documentary “Transport XX to Auschwitz” at 12 pm Sunday March 15, 2015 – simultaneously in both Sydney (Event Cinemas, Bondi Junction) and Melbourne (Classic Cinemas).
In both cities another showing of the film later in March again : in Sydney March 24 , and in Melbourne March 19, 2015.
Special announcement Atelier Marcel Hastir at the 70th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation :
On the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day the Atelier especially draws your attention to the screening of the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – a film by Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg” (subtitled) on Saturday January 31, 2015 at 17h in the Atelier Marcel Hastir at the Rue du Commerce 51 in Brussels, Belgium
More information at the Atelier site
Annonce spéciale de l’Atelier :
A l’occasion de la Journée mondiale de l’holocauste nous attirons spécialement votre attention sur la projection du film documentaire “Transport XX to Auschwitz a film by Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg” (sous-titré), le Samedi 31 janvier 2015 à 17h à l’Atelier Marcel Hastir , Rue du Commerce 51 à Bruxelles, Belgique – ici le site internet
ATELIER MARCEL HASTIR
Rue du Commerce 51, 1000 Bruxelles – Métro Trône
Sa 31 jan 2015 , 17h – Film docu “Transport XX to Auschwitz”
EN – Documentary film « Transport XX to Auschwitz »
70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27, 1945 – for International Holocaust Remembrance Day – the Atelier Marcel Hastir presents the documentary « Transport XX to Auschwitz » a film by Karen Lynne Bloom, Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg.
The documentary tells the story of the remarkable heroic attack on a deportation train to Auschwitz – the 20th transport – on April 19, 1943 at Boortmeerbeek (Belgium). Three brave young Belgians stopped that train that transported 1631 Jewish passengers in the cattle cars. They managed to liberate 17 people – and another 200 could jump out also before the Belgian border, partly due to the consternation caused by that attack.
English subtitles ; and languages spoken: english, dutch, german, french.
Filmmaker Michel van der Burg will be present to talk with the audience after the screening.
FR – Film documentaire « Transport XX to Auschwitz »
70 ans après la libération du camp de concentration d’Auschwitz le 27 janvier 1945 – pour le Journée internationale de commémoration de l’Holocauste – l’Atelier Marcel Hastir montre le film documentaire « Transport XX to Auschwitz » réalisé par Karen Lynne Bloom, Richard Bloom et Michel van der Burg.
Le film raconte l’histoire de l’attentat héroïque au train de déportation vers Auschwitz – le 20e convoi – le 19 avril 1943 à Boortmeerbeek (Belgique). Trois jeunes hommes belges ont eu le courage d’arrêter ce train, transportant 1631 personnes juives. Ils ont pu libérer 17 personnes, et plus de 200 autres ont pu sauter aussi du train avant la frontière belge, en partie grâce à la consternation que l’attentat avait provoqué.
Sous-titré anglais ; langues parlées: anglais, néerlandais, allemand, français.
Le cinéaste Michel van der Burg sera présent pour échanger avec le public à l’issue de la projection.
NL – Documentaire « Transport XX to Auschwitz »
70 jaar na de bevrijding van het Auschwitz concentratiekamp op 27 januari 1945 – voor de Internationale Herdenkingsdag voor de Holocaust – vertoont het Atelier Marcel Hastir de documentaire « Transport XX to Auschwitz » een film van Karen Lynne Bloom, Richard Bloom en Michel van der Burg.
De documentaire vertelt het verhaal van de heldhaftige overval op een deportatietrein naar Auschwitz – het 20e konvooi – op 19 april 1943 te Boortmeerbeek (België). Drie moedige Belgische jongemannen stopten de trein die 1631 Joodse passagiers vervoerde in de veewagons. Zij slaagden er in om 17 mensen te bevrijden, en meer dan 200 anderen konden nog van de trein springen voor de belgische grens, mede door de consternatie veroorzaakt door de overval.
Ondertiteling: engels ; gesproken talen: nederlands, engels, duits en frans.
Filmmaker Michel van der Burg zal aanwezig zijn, om na de vertoning met het publiek praten.
More background and other news also here at this site : Documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz”
(Revised version – March 19 , 2015 – English and especially French and Dutch texts were expanded)
Water Windmiller Pieter van der Burg | 20140821 | 1-memo.com | Great-great-great grandfather ‘Pieter’ van der Burg was a water-miller 200 years ago (from 1811) on the ‘Noorddammolen’ (the North Dam Mill) of the “Oude Pijnackerse polder” (Old Polder of Pijnacker) in South-Holland. The Noorddammolen was demolished in 1861 (a few years after Pieter had died) when a steam pumping-engine was build for the job. This picture from around 1900 shows both the similar neighbouring water mills and the steam pumping engine : in the front first the Zuiddammolen (South Dam mill) – then the chimney of the steam pumping-engine at the site were that ‘Noorddammolen’ of Pieter used to be, finally the Noordmolen (North Mill).
Background on the Noorddammolen – That mill had been rebuild in 1577 after the original mill had been destroyed during the Spanish Siege of Leiden. Further note that Pieter had moved to another mill already in 1815. Image source / part of the info : molendatabase.org | Allemolens.nl.
TAGS #michelvanderburg #1Memo #Holland #GreenHeart #GroeneHart #Noorddammolen #Pijnacker #Pieter #PietervanderBurg #polder #water #windmill #watermiller #OudePijnackersepolder #drainage #Zuiddammolen #steam #family #CV
May 28th, 2014 report* from the Afghan refugees camp in the Saint John the Baptist church at the Béguinage in Brussels (Belgium) – click 1st image to start slideshow
Beguinage Project
In March 2014 I traveled to Brussels, Belgium to meet a group of Afghans living inside an old Catholic church. At the time, nearly one hundred Afghan refugees had set up camp within the walls of the seventeenth century compound. There were camping tents and make-shift walls within the Baroque interior. Respectfully abiding by the teachings of Islam, the main religious practice of the Afghans living in the Catholic church, there was one side for woman and children and one side for males.
Their shoes were piled up outside of the doors of their tents and warm pots of chai were passed around during mealtime. On a sunny afternoon dozens joined in on a game of cricket, cautious to not start a scene or cause too much noise. All they could do at this point was wait for a potential interview date and hope to receive legal status in a country that they could only half-heartedly call home.
A majority of the males I spoke with were well-educated; most speaking French, Dutch, and English in addition to their native Afghan language of Dari or Pashto. Their skills and experiences as translators, guards, and service men in Afghanistan had threatened their livelihood and ultimately forced them to flee their homeland. The priest of the church, Daniel Alliet, opened the space to the Afghan refugees because he disagreed with Belgium’s asylum policy.
One Afghan gentleman, who asked to remain anonymous, told me about his journey to Brussels: “When you are working with America or other organizations in Afghanistan the Taliban is a big problem. I was with the forces in Kandahar Province for one year. This was a big, big company in Kandahar. After one year the Taliban send some letters to my family saying, ‘Your son is working for the enemy.’ And they said, ‘He will come and he will work with us.’ Then I went to my home. And after the Taliban found out about me, I came to Iran, then I went to Europe, and this country.”
At present, the situation continues to evolve: the church is now used as an Afghan community center instead of a shelter, some have been granted alternative housing accommodations throughout the country, and many refugees were granted the right to stay in the country legally. In Brussels, and around the world, Afghans are facing the harsh realities of displacement while others are struggling to resettle without official resident status, nevertheless, their strength is what binds them and they tirelessly continue to fight for justice.
Text: Kristen Cattell / Photography : Michel van der Burg
Special thanks to Isabelle Marchal and the many friends that welcomed us , and also others whose works were on display at the church and are shown in these pictures.
* Update Sept 6th 2015 – Our full report first appeared May 28th, 2014 (via the now no longer existing web site “Rising Afghans”) and is now fully included here.
Republishing of the short second photo report that appeared also then , will follow soon (the Inside Out project by JR – with original portraits by Chiara Ravano – at Salon Mommen, Brussels.)
Update Nov 15, 2015 – Added video “Béguinage shadows”
Update Nov 19, 2015 – Added info (below) on the silent solidarity march for Afghan refugees in Brussels Nov 20th 2013 – “Belgians and Afghans demand justice”
Belgians and Afghans demand justice
Belgians and Afghans demand justice – Video report by Michel van der Burg. Belgians and Afghan refugees demand Belgium changes its asylum policy.
Speeches by Amir Mohammad Jafari (12 y, student and Afghan refugee in Belgium) & Simon Gronowski (Belgian lawyer) 20 nov 2013 on the arrival of the silent solidarity march for Afghan refugees in Brussels. « link to full post »
“Transport XX to Auschwitz” – European Theater Premiere – Festival of Tolerance | May, 2014, Zagreb, Croatia
Croatian subtitles (ministry-of-subtitles.com) and English subtitles (michelvanderburg•com).
EN : Transport XX to Auschwitz – Thursday, 22.5.2014, 17:45 – Cinema Tuškanac
During the Shoah, the Nazis, in their quest for the final solution of the Jewish question, utilized thousands of trains from Germany and the occupied countries to transport 3,000,000 Jews to the concentration and death camps. This is the little known, true story of a most remarkable and heroic rescue attempt which occurred on April 19, 1943, the first night of the Passover, at the same time that the Warsaw Ghetto uprising began, some 720 miles away. On that night, Transport XX departed Mechelen, Belgium at 10 p. m. with 1631 Jewish men, women and children for Auschwitz- Birkenau. Half an hour later, it was stopped by three young Belgians armed with only 1 pistol, pliers and a hurricane lamp. This was the only documented rescue attempt/attack on a death train during the Shoah.
HR : Transport XX za Auschwitz – Četvrtak, 22.5.2014, 17:45 – Kino Tuškanac
Za vrijeme holokausta nacisti su težeći „konačnom rješenju židovskog pitanja“ upotrijebili tisuće vlakova iz Njemačke i okupiranih zemalja kako bi transportirali tri milijuna Židova u koncentracijske logore ili logore smrti. Ovo je malo poznata istinita priča o znakovitom i herojskom pokušaju spašavanja koji se dogodio 19. travnja 1943., na prvi dan Pashe, u isto vrijeme kada je započeo Ustanak u varšavskom getu, 1200 kilometara dalje. Te je noći u 22 sata Transport XX krenuo iz Mechelena u Belgiji sa 1631 židovskih muškaraca, žena i djece prema Auschwitz- Birkenau. Pola sata kasnije zaustavila su ga tri mlada Belgijanca naoružana samo jednim pištoljem, kliještima i petrolejkom. Ovo je jedini dokumentirani pokušaj spašavanja zatočenika, odnosno napad na vlak smrti za vrijeme holokausta.
May 28, 2014. Zagreb. Festival of Tolerance. The audience at the Festival of Tolerance valued the film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” with a very good average grade of 4.3 (out of 5).
