The feature documentary “How Saba Kept Singing”
is now available to stream on YouTube, and screening in select cities.
You can stream the full version now on YouTube.
Watch the documentary trailer:
Watch the full documentary:
While a shorter version premiered on PBS in 2023, the full feature-length documentary (79min) has been made available to now stream and share online. The director’s cut of “How Saba Kept Singing” is the same version which has been screened in theaters, film festivals, and in private presentations, with over 20 additional minutes that could not fit on TV for the PBS broadcast – including an original song composed for the film (which appears over the closing credits).
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 honored with the Audience Award at the Rutgers Jewish Film Festival, and is currently nominated for a News & Documentary EMMY Award.
“How Saba Kept Singing” is also screening in select cities,
often accompanied by musical performance and discussion with Avi Wisnia.
See the tour page for film dates and details.
Educational Resources
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. Encourage your community to join the journey with David Wisnia to learn more about the Holocaust.
Access videos, links, and documents in the Educational Resource Collection for free:
>> www.retroreport.org/education/resources/how-saba-kept-singing-film-screening
“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 these resources 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.
Read more about How “SABA” Became A Film.
I’ve been waiting a long time to tell you, and now I finally can…
HOW SABA KEPT SINGING will make its televised premiere on PBS this Spring.
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).
The film about how my grandfather David Wisnia survived the Holocaust & our recent journey back to Poland as a family will be on TV! Not only does the film tell my late grandfather’s incredible story, it also incorporates music by my Saba and me, including a song he wrote while a prisoner in Auschwitz.
“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.” Directed by Sara Taksler, and produced by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
We are so proud and honored to be able to share this family story with all of you, with everyone, and we hope you will tune in for this special event.
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 help spread the word by posting to social media, here is a sample of what to include:
Watch the TV premiere of this powerful documentary #HowSabaKeptSinging on April 18, 10pm on @PBS. Learn more: https://www.pbs.org/show/how-saba-kept-singing/ @AviWisnia
Stay tuned for more live screenings of the documentary film, including the Philadelphia Premiere Screening & Talkback Event coming up Thursday, April 13.
You can read more about our travels together by going to the blog at MY POLISH WISNIA.
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, my grandfather sang in front of this stone building, the Death Gate to Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a profound experience to be here in Auschwitz, commemorating the Holocaust, as a family. We are three generations bearing witness to the horrors my grandfather survived. And as hard as it is to be here, as hard as it has been to make this journey, it is important. If the Nazis were successful, none of us would be here. But we are here. And we are here for all those who cannot be here. We will not be erased.
“Children and grandchildren walked beside survivors or pushed their wheelchairs into buildings made of brick and hatred, proof that the Nazis couldn’t turn every family, every future, to ash.
‘I feel a great responsibility,’ grandson Avi Wisnia said at a survivor dinner Sunday night in Kraków. “My grandfather’s story is my story. It’s the story of my family. I’m very aware that when he dies, I need to keep the memory alive, and the story alive, and these experiences alive.’
David Wisnia, a longtime cantor, stood before the crowd, the gates of Auschwitz behind him. Long ago, the Nazi guards took a liking to his voice, and it kept his future alive. He sang a prayer for the dead, then the Mourner’s Kaddish. Survivors sang along and cried.
Avi stood beside him, a singer like his grandfather.” … [READ MORE from The Philadelphia Inquirer]
>> David Wisnia & Family, featured on PBS News Hour [WATCH at PBS]
It is important to hear about the Holocaust from those who experienced it, now, while we still can.
You can still watch the 75th Anniversary ceremony. Use this english-language LINK to watch the entire event. Listen to several survivors speak about the Holocaust, in their own words, and hear my grandfather sing at hour 2:25 [WATCH]
