By Bridgette Poe
Special to the Daily News

As much as I enjoy all genres of film, the form nearest and dearest to my heart is the documentary. I understand that documentaries are not necessarily the first choice of the masses, especially within the upbeat atmosphere of a film festival. I get the idea that someone might not think heading to the afterparties, having just viewed a sobering film, is necessarily the most ‘fun’ option. But, then again — I’m of the belief that taking in a full cinematic experience, while gaining information, is a true gift. (I readily admit that a great deal of my knowledge, on certain topics, has been gleaned from extensive doc viewing. Now…do I expect the filmmakers to do all of the work and give me the “entire story” within the time frame? Of course not. But doc filmmakers have indeed done their job if I want to follow up with further research. And quite often, that is the case.) Regardless of the subject matter I can always find a way, on some level, to enjoy or learn something from almost any documentary. But even I found THE LAST SURVIVOR to be a rare experience. While the difficult theme tackled here is genocide, THE LAST SURVIVOR is, on several different levels, an educational and, yes, even “enjoyable” film.

Directors Michael Pertnoy and Michael Kleiman took on a great challenge with this film. Their early goal was “to make a film about genocide that was, at its core, a hopeful one”, a goal they admitted was not “a very easy combination”. Not only did they achieve this feat, they have succeeded beautifully. This film deftly intertwines the tales of several different survivors to educate the viewer on not only The Holocaust, but also on current atrocities across the globe that the democratic, powerful nations of the world (including the US) are aware of and continue to let happen.

They originally set out to make a documentary about what life is like today for Holocaust survivors. Their original focus was on “Cafe Europa”. (Cafe Europa is a reunion of survivors that occurs, several times a year, in major cities all over the world.) It was during this initial research on that Michael Pertnoy and Michael Kleiman learned of a woman named Hedi Fried. Ms. Fried, herself a survivor, started a social therapy group in 1984 (“Café 84”) that served as a unique model, with weekly gatherings of survivors coming together to socially interact. (Or, as the directors put it, coming together “to live”.) Hedi then took her activism further and began working with survivors from other communities (Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur). The directors say it was Hedi Fried who made them realize that to make a film about genocide, they would need to address all the other tragedies that have occurred since the Holocaust. Pertnoy and Kleiman phrase it as “the vow of ‘Never Again’ that the world has broken over and over”.

Both directors expressed that they were most surprised to learn how predictable the process of genocide is and how there are “undeniable similarities” between the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocides and the situation in Darfur. This is what led them to put the four stories together that comprise THE LAST SURVIVOR, not only to highlight the similarities but also to illustrate to the audience that genocide is a crime that CAN be stopped before it begins.

While the entire film is resonant, one moment in particular stands out. A survivor named Adam (while living in exile in Israel) is being questioned by a member of his adopted family. When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, Adam states that he hopes to be back in Darfur working to make his homeland a better place. The response he receives is that this Israeli family, by taking him in and offering him support has “planted a seed”. All that they expect in return is “a tree”.

Acting on that same idea, Michael Pertnoy and Michael Kleiman have an outreach campaign to take the film to as many audiences as possible, the world over. (Their production company is “Righteous Pictures” and the mission statement on their website is to take a “transformational and proactive approach to documenting and fostering social action”. www.righteouspictures.com) They have begun production on their next film WEB, which follows the work of the organization One Laptop per Child. The focus of the organization is on transforming life in isolated villages (namely the Amazon Jungle and the Andes Mountains) through the use of laptops and the Internet. (Michael Kleiman participated in this interview via e-mail from Peru, where he has lived for the last 8 months in conjunction with a Fulbright Scholarship)

The co-directors addressed “the common bonds of humanity that unite all of us” and how one person CAN make a difference because there are “infinite ways to get involved”.

(Per Mr. Pertnoy, “it’s oddly fitting that this film is being shown at DIFF during April, which is “Genocide Prevention Month”. That concept alone has already spurred me to want to dig deeper and learn more.) Pertnoy and Kleiman expressed their hope that viewers leave with not only a deeper understanding of the crime of genocide but also inspired to act where they can to fight injustice in the world. These documentarians are definitely planting the seeds, now all they need now is the water of human interest in order to yield many strong trees.