VISHNIAC

About the Film

Documentary | 95 MIN | US

Roman Vishniac is best known for having traversed Eastern Europe from 1935 through 1938, on assignment to photograph Jewish life. Less than a decade later these communities would be wiped out and Vishniac’s iconic photographs would provide the last visual records of an entire world.Through his photographs, we see Jewish life – in Eastern European shtetls and in Weimar-era Berlin – and witness the Nazi rise to power. After the war, his documentation continued with photographs of Berlin in ruins and Jewish children in Displaced Persons camps.Vishniac was also a respected scientist who made considerable contributions in the field of microscopic photography. His “Living Biology” series, funded by the National Science Foundation, were some of the first films depicting life through a microscope and became a staple in the 1960s and 1970s in classrooms across the United States. His pioneering microscopy transformed the nature of science photography.

VISHNIAC delves into the person and story behind the photos as it frames Vishniac’s legacy as a key modernist photographer and preserver of memory.

View Screening

Director

Laura Bialis

Writer

Sophie Sartain

Producers

Laura Bialis | Roberta Grossman

Santa Barbara International Film Festival, 2023


Trailer


Related Films

MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE (2025) Image

MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE (2025)

97 MIN

US

In 1987, at the age of just 21, Marlee Matlin shattered expectations as the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award® for her groundbreaking performance in CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD. Catapulted into the spotlight, she seized the moment to challenge an industry unprepared for her immense talent, emerging as a trailblazer not only […]
CHEECH & CHONG'S LAST MOVIE (2025) Image

CHEECH & CHONG'S LAST MOVIE (2025)

123 MIN

US

CHEECH AND CHONG'S LAST MOVIE defies documentary expectations, offering a wildly imaginative take on genre convention: a true-life tale told through a mix of animation and archival madness, all underscored by a classic cinematic road trip comedy. Tracing the enduring legacy of pioneering comics Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, the film features interviews, sketches, and never-before-seen footage spanning the duo's five-decade career. The result is an unlikely story of friendship and fame, turmoil and defiance, rebellion and ultimately - redemption.
LIZA: A TRULY TERRIFIC ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY (2024) Image

LIZA: A TRULY TERRIFIC ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY (2024)

104 MIN

US

This star-studded tribute brings into focus the dazzling, complex period of Liza Minnelli’s life starting in the 1970s, just after the tragic death of her mother, Judy Garland— as she confronts a range of personal and professional challenges on the way to becoming a bona fide legend. Over these years, Liza seeks out extraordinary mentors: […]
THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA DE LEMPICKA & THE ART OF SURVIVAL (2024) Image

THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA DE LEMPICKA & THE ART OF SURVIVAL (2024)

96 MIN

US

Q+A with filmmaker Julie Rubio and Marisa de Lempicka, Tamara de Lempicka’s great-granddaughter, moderated by Jillian Livingston, Founder of Aspen Real Life and Aspen Business Connect. THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA DE LEMPICKA & THE ART OF SURVIVAL traces the life and survival of the renowned painter through her powerful paintings – from her rise […]

Working to Enlighten, Enrich, Educate, and Entertain Through Film