"WE PLAYED MARBLES: 
Remembering a Stolen Childhood"
(2008, 74 min.)
PREMIERED AT SANTA BARBARA
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara is proud to announce the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2008 premiere of "We Played Marbles: Remembering a Stolen Childhood" – a seventy-four minute program that portrays the stories of local survivors and refugees of the Holocaust. The program was created by filmmakers Louise Palanker and Jennifer A. Reinish in association with Dr. Elizabeth Wolfson, Director of Portraits of Survival: Life Journeys During the Holocaust and Beyond.

WE PLAYED MARBLES features eleven local Holocaust survivors who recount memories of their childhoods in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, and Poland. Their stories illuminate the rich European Jewish culture that was destroyed by Nazi tyranny. They share memories of how their lives were abruptly and forever changed. They tell of loved ones who perished, and of the courageous people who helped them survive. These interwoven narratives are infused with the wisdom and strength that is born out of building new life after loss.

See photos from the opening night at SB International Film Festival, Jan. 2008

Read Barney Brantingham's interview with Helga Carden on the Independent's website!

Live interview with the filmmakers (go to minute 3 on the film)

Biographies of Project Creators

Filmmaker:
Louise Palanker is an accomplished writer/producer/performer in radio, television, stage and stand-up comedy. As co-founder of Premiere Radio Networks, Louise wrote, produced, performed in and/or executive produced over 20 programs and services for Premiere Radio, the nation’s largest radio syndicator and a division of Clear Channel Communications. She created a program in 2000 at Los Angeles Boys & Girls’ Clubs for youth to learn how to write and perform comedy. Louise produces stand-up comedy shows in and around Southern California, including two weekly shows in Santa Barbara. Louise is currently directing and producing a documentary about the famed 60s family pop band, The Cowsills. For more on Louise: LouisePalanker.com

Filmmaker:
Jennifer A. Reinish first made an appearance in the Santa Barbara Film Festival in 2004 with her documentary "The Aphrodite Project." Since then, Jennie and her production company, Tidepool Pictures, have produced and directed music videos, commercials and corporate documentaries, both locally and nationwide. Jennie has had a variety of experiences in both television and film. Being able to tell the stories of the eleven people in "We Played Marbles" is a great honor for Jennie, and she is grateful for their willingness to speak on camera and open themselves to the possibilities of this film. Jennie's next project is a documentary about the massive efforts involved in fighting California's wildfires, which began production at the height of the Zaca Fire. Jennifer's website

Project Associate:
Elizabeth Wolfson (Ph.D., LCSW) is director of the Portraits of Survival program and of the Jewish Family Service of Greater Santa Barbara which (under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara) provides counseling, family life education and social/recreational programs to the entire Santa Barbara community. Dr. Wolfson also teaches Family Therapy at Antioch University and maintains a private practice of psychotherapy in Santa Barbara with individuals and families of all backgrounds. Dr. Wolfson was in clinical practice in New Jersey for over 21 years. She served on the faculty of Columbia University School of Social Work and was Clinical Director of Jewish Family Service of Metro West, New Jersey. Dr. Wolfson's experience with a wide range of populations has included involvement with Holocaust survivors and their families through counseling and case management and psycho-educational programs on the east coast and in California. Dr. Wolfson is the author of several professional articles and presented at the 2007 International Legacy of the Holocaust Conference in Krakow, Poland on "Portraits of Survival: Life Journeys During the Holocaust and Beyond: How one small exhibit made a big difference."

David Shor, Federation Board Member, is a principal and managing partner of Labrador Media Group, providing financing, production, development and distribution for filmmakers and other artists and of Labrador Pictures, a motion picture production company. David served as President of Tahoe-Reno International Film Festival and is Chairman of the Board of The Ojai Film Festival, and a member of the Producers’ Network of the Cannes Film Festival. David's Federation Board work focuses on perpetuating the legacy of Portraits of Survival: Life Journeys During the Holocaust and Beyond. "Through film, as well as in our Portraits educational programs, Holocaust survivors offer stories of resilience and re-creation, delivering a message that not every defeat is final. For many of our community members, particularly young people at risk, exposure to these stories allow them to rethink and recreate their own experience into something positive." David's website

Holocaust Survivors and Refugees in our Community
The individuals whose lives are featured in "We Played Marbles" and the "Video Portraits" series are participants in this joint, creative and historical endeavor. In addition to being active, accomplished members of our community, they share their stories as a gift to our community with the goal of educating and combating discrimination, racism and violence. Read all the stories here.

"We Played Marbles: Remembering a Stolen Childhood" follows on the success of "Video Portraits of Survival, Volumes One and Two" (made in collaboration with UCSB), which premiered at the SBIFF in 2006 and 2007 respectively to enthusiastic receptions by 500-plus audience members.

The success and production of the films based on Portraits of Survival is due in part to the enthusiasm of Roger Durling, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, as well as the support of the University of California, Santa Barbara, in association with
Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara.