documentary

23Oct2023Blog post, My Polish Wisniadocumentary, Film, How Saba Kept Singing, My Polish Wisnia, tour, travel

Taking Our Documentary On Tour

Since the premiere of “How Saba Kept Singing” on PBS TV earlier this Spring, the impact of our family documentary around the world has been overwhelming and heartwarming. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share this story with audiences around the world and in person this year, with several public screenings and community events where we can experience and explore this powerful story together. Here are just a few upcoming cities…

•Sat, Oct 28 – Boston, MA
•Fri, Nov 10 – Sarasota, FL
•Tues, Nov 14 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
•Sat, Dec 2 – Fair Lawn, NJ
•Sun, Dec 3 – Rye, NY
•Mon, Dec 4 – Cherry Hill, NJ
•Fri, Dec 8 – Philadelphia, PA
•Thurs, Jan 4 – Miami, FL
•Wed, Jan 10 – Boynton Beach, FL
•Sun, March 10 – Kingston, NY
•Sat, Apr 6 – Bridgeport, CT
•Thurs, Apr 11 – Toledo, OH
•Thurs, May 9 – Omaha, NE
…and more!

See the list of screening dates & details at aviwisnia.com/tour

The award-winning documentary “How Saba Kept Singing” tells the story of how singer David “Saba” Wisnia survived the Holocaust and how his journey back to Poland with his grandson Avi Wisnia unlocks the secret about someone else who had a hand in his survival. The soundtrack features music by both David Wisnia and Avi Wisnia, plus a brand new original song composed for the film. Screenings will include a discussion with Avi Wisnia, and a special live musical performance. Come experience this powerful film, which explores themes of faith, family, and resilience, the persistence of discrimination and the power of music, and the urgency of telling these stories today.

Read more about the film HERE.
Watch the film trailer HERE.

BCCC flyer promo How Saba Kept Singing Sept2023 JPG

11Sep2023Blog post, My Polish WisniaBucks County, documentary, Film, How Saba Kept Singing, My Polish Wisnia, screening

SABA Screening in Bucks County

“SABA” is coming to Bucks County!

BCCC Poster How Saba Kept Singing Sept2023 JPG

Join me and my family for a special screening of “How Saba Kept Singing” in our Pennsylvania hometown. The documentary of our journey back to Poland and the story of my grandfather’s survival will be screened at the beautiful Zlock Performing Arts Center, on the Bucks County Community College campus.

My father will be introducing the film. Following the screening, I will perform a few songs & discuss the music that kept my grandfather alive during the Holocaust. If you have not yet had a chance to experience the full theatrical release of this powerful film, we hope to see you there. This will kick off a nation-wide tour of the film screening.

Thursday, Sept 28
Zlock Performing Arts Center at Bucks County Community College
Doors open at 6:30pm, Film at 7pm.
This event is Free and open to the public. Reserve Tickets Here
More information available at aviwisnia.com/tour

Read an article about the event in the Newtown Patch:
“BCCC Film Documents How Singing Saved Saba From The Holocaust“

The film tells the story of how David Wisnia survived the Holocaust and how his recent journey back to Poland with his grandson and family unlocks the secret of someone else who had a hand in his survival. The soundtrack features music by both David Wisnia and Avi Wisnia, plus a brand new original song composed for the film.

Read more about David Wisnia’s story of survival with his memoir ONE VOICE TWO LIVES.

Read more about our travels & the music we made together by visiting the page MY POLISH WISNIA.

Read more about How “SABA” Became A Film.

3May2023Blog post, My Polish WisniaChappaqua, Chelsea Clinton, documentary, Film, Hillary Clinton, How Saba Kept Singing, My Polish Wisnia, pics, Sara Taksler

Watching a movie with Hillary Clinton

This was one of the most meaningful moments of my life.

I was invited to participate in a film screening, performance, and post-film talkback at the Chappaqua Performing Art Center in New York. Yes, I finally got to meet the Executive Producers of our film “How Saba Kept Singing” (and if you do get a chance to sit next to Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea and hear them speak – highly recommend!), but it was also about what this moment crystalized for me. This documentary is not just about my grandfather, or my family’s story, or the power of music, or the legacy of the Holocaust, it is bigger than that – it is indeed all these things, and more. This film has the ability to educate and start conversations and change people’s hearts and open people’s eyes, and I think this is just the beginning.

This was also the first time we gathered with every team that has worked on the film to help bring it in to the world: Retro Report, Hidden Light, Burnt Umber, and many other partners and supporters. It takes a lot of people to make a movie! I am honored to be a part of this project. And I will be forever. This is now a part of my life’s work.

Enjoy a few photos of the evening, with deep gratitude to Friends of Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, host Stacey Saiontz, director Sara Taksler, and the event’s photographer Lisa Wahl.

with executive producer Hillary Rodham Clinton, director Sara Taksler,
the Wisnia family, and producing team Retro Report

post-film discussion with executive producers Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton,
and director Sara Taksler

And in case you haven’t seen or shared “How Saba Kept Singing” yet, now you can! Watch it anytime, streaming in full on YouTube.

You can read more about our travels together by going to the blog at MY POLISH WISNIA.

“How Saba Kept Singing” is the story of how my grandfather’s music saved him in Auschwitz and how music binds the two of us together. To be able to share my own music as part of this film & perform it during each screening is incredibly meaningful. Through music, my Saba lives on.

As the credits roll at the end of the film, you will hear a song I wrote, an original composition called “How Long It’s Been” inspired by the reunion between my Saba and Tzippi, the woman who had a hand in saving my grandfather’s life during the Holocaust.

Hear the song from the film: “How Long It’s Been“

Does Hillary Clinton have an Avi Wisnia kazoo?
You bet she does.

filming How Saba Kept Singing in sochaczew cemetary

21Apr2023Blog post, My Polish Wisniadocumentary, filming, How Saba Kept Singing, My Polish Wisnia, Poland, Sara Taksler, travel

How We Made A Movie

How did our film “How Saba Kept Singing” come to be?

Let me introduce you to Director Sara Taksler:

Sara attended the New Jersey synagogue where my father was rabbi for many years. Our families knew each other well. We grew up together. I reconnected with Sara many years later in NYC where she had become a producer and filmmaker.

About five years ago, she came to the Upper East Side to see a program where my grandfather and I were commemorating the Holocaust by telling his story with music. Later that night, Sara approached me and asked if Saba’s story could be her next project. Though my grandfather had long held in the details of his past, he had more recently become comfortable sharing his story of survival publicly, and now, he was ready for the world to hear it.

We started filming some interviews with Sara in 2019, and then when we got invited to perform in Poland in January 2020, we invited Sara and her film crew to come along. That was the last trip we ever took, the last time my grandfather would sing in public.

This photo was taken on an emotional day during that trip in 2020 – right before my grandfather went to sing at the 75th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony at Auschwitz – in a hotel room that is featured in a scene which bookends the film. I’m sure it’s after I brushed Saba’s hair, because he looks pretty good!

Sara, you have managed to capture not only my grandfather’s story with grace and dignity, but you also managed to capture his essence, his character, his humor, his voice, his connection to his family – and now he is immortalized in film forever and that is such a gift to all of us. There is no one I can imagine that our family would trust more with this project, and we love you.

You can now share and watch the entire documentary for free anytime on YouTube: How Saba Kept Singing

You can find all education resources and read more about the film HERE.
You can read more about my travels with my grandfather by going to the blog at MY POLISH WISNIA.

“Musician David “Saba” Wisnia believed that he survived the horrors of Auschwitz by entertaining the Nazi guards with his beautiful singing voice. Join David and his grandson Avi Wisnia as the pair embark on a journey exploring the mystery of Saba’s past and discover that someone unexpected may have had a hand in saving his life.” Directed by Sara Taksler, and produced by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.

27Mar2023Blog post, My Polish Wisniadocumentary, Film, How Saba Kept Singing, My Polish Wisnia, NMAJH, Philadelphia, premiere, video, Weitzman Museum

How Saba Kept Singing Philadelphia Premiere

You are invited to the Philly Premiere of
How Saba Kept Singing

Many of you know that I performed with my grandfather for many years before he passed away. One of the last trips we took together was to Poland in 2020 to perform one last time. That journey has now been turned into an amazing feature documentary, and I’d like to invite you to come see it!

“HOW SABA KEPT SINGING” will have a theater screening (APR 13) in Philadelphia, in advance of a TV premiere (*edited for time) on PBS! (APR 18)

The feature documentary follows our Wisnia family as we recently travelled back to Poland with my grandfather David, my “Saba,” and reveals the many ways he survived the Holocaust. Not only does the film tell my late grandfather’s incredible story, it also incorporates music by Saba and me, including a song he wrote while a prisoner in Auschwitz which I translated into English.

I hope you will join me and my family at this hometown screening, and help us spread the word about the film so that everyone can hear my grandfather’s story.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sara Taksler and Avi Wisnia, David’s grandson. The Q&A will end with a special musical performance from Avi. All in attendance are invited to a casual post-film reception with the Wisnia family, including wine and food to celebrate the end of Passover.
*This film screening is likely to sell out, advance reservations recommended.*

Tickets and Information: https://theweitzman.org/events/how-saba-kept-singing/

For those unable to attend the Philly Premiere, you can catch it on PBS TV just a few days later. The documentary will air on Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day, Tuesday April 18 at 10pm ET /9pm CT in the United States (check your local listings).

How To Watch: Download the PBS app on your phone, tablet, or TV streaming device and access programs with PBS Passport. Check local listings for broadcast details in your area as times may vary. Read more at: https://www.pbs.org/show/how-saba-kept-singing/

You can read more about our travels together by going to the blog at MY POLISH WISNIA.

12 3