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!
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.
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
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.
The feature documentary about my family “How Saba Kept Singing” is now available EVERYWHERE!
You can find the full version available to stream on YouTube.
Watch the documentary trailer:
Watch the full documentary:
This is the Director’s Cut (79min), the same version that has been screened in theaters, with over 20 additional minutes that could not fit on TV for the PBS broadcast – this version includes more songs, music by both me and my Saba, more details, more context, and a pretty decent joke about a first-class banana.
After the premiere on PBS, the producers at Retro Report have decided this story is too important and should be accessible to everyone. And we agree.
I hope everyone gets to see this film, to take it in to your hearts, to think about it and talk about it, and to meet my Saba. If you missed it on PBS, or if you just want to see it again and SHARE it – now you can!
The world needs to hear this story. Watch it HERE.
ABOUT THE FILM: The award-winning documentary film, How Saba Kept Singing, shares the story of Cantor, Holocaust Survivor, and Military Veteran, David “Saba” Wisnia, who spends his later years traveling with his grandson and musical accompanist, Avi Wisnia, sharing the story of how he survived the Holocaust through music which the duo perform together. For years, Cantor Wisnia’s story centered around the belief that he survived Auschwitz mainly by using his beautiful singing voice to entertain his Nazi captors. These performances in the death camp gave him status as a ”privileged prisoner.” However, when David takes his family back to Poland for one last performance, Avi starts asking questions and they discover that someone else had a hand in Saba’s survival. A powerful and uplifting story about music, faith, family and resilience, proving love can grow and take hold in even the darkest of places. This film is directed by Sara Taksler (Tickling Giants), and Executive Produced by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
David Wisnia’s story became an international sensation when featured in the New York Times and Buzzfeed. The film How Saba Kept Singing premiered at the HotDocs Toronto International Documentary Festival (2022) and made its national TV debut on PBS in 2023. The documentary was recently honored with the Audience Award at the Rutgers Jewish Film Festival.
Now screening in select cities, hosted by Avi Wisnia. See the tour page for film dates and details.
Teachers! Educators! Community Leaders!
“How Saba Kept Singing” is now available with Education Resources, Lessons Plans, Film Clips and Discussion Guides – along with short clips and the film itself. Consider incorporating the documentary into your curriculum this year. Join the journey with my grandfather to learn about the Holocaust.
“Classroom resources accompanying Retro Report’s documentary “How Saba Kept Singing” will help students gain a deeper understanding of life at the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp; explore the connections in music, humanity and perseverance; and examine how anti-Semitism has evolved through modern history.” Resources are divided up by age group, theme, and activity.
Please share this link with your friends, educators, school districts and communities. Let us make sure that future generations Never Forget.
You can find all education resources and read more about the film HERE.
The Wisnias had a Watch Party for the National PBS Premiere of our family feature documentary How Saba Kept Singing. Thank you for watching with us!!
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.
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.
