The Holocaust was one of the most devastating events of the 20th century. Millions of people lost their lives, and it is something that we should never forget.
A good way to keep the memory alive is by watching the best Holocaust documentaries. There are many great films to choose from, but the ones listed below are some of the best movies of all time about the Holocaust.
So if you’re interested in learning more about the saddest part of human history, keep reading below.
Best Holocaust Documentaries
Best Holocaust Documentaries
There are some movies that you may find challenging to watch, especially if you’re not used to sensitive or intense media.
However, there are also some amazing movies out there that may make your heart race and even leave you feeling emotionally charged. Here are some of the best examples:
1. The Photographer of Mauthausen (2018)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: The Photographer of Mauthausen (2018)
When we discovered that the Swiss-French production, “The Photographer of Mauthausen,” was set to be released in theaters all over North America this year, we had to put it on our radar.
And we’re glad we did! The film stars French actor Mathieu Amalric as Francesc Boix, a Spanish inmate in the Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen in Austria who is able to smuggle pictures and videos of the atrocities committed inside the camp out to the world.
The film is available on Netflix right now, and we can highly recommend it to anyone looking for a harrowing, real-life story worth watching.
What is more unusual about this film is that it does not follow one specific character’s story; instead, it follows the journey of many different characters over the course of several months.
This allows for an even more wide-ranging emotional experience, as viewers are able to follow the development of each individual character over time.
2. The Resistance Banker (2018)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: The Resistance Banker (2018)
The Resistance Banker is set during the Dutch resistance of the ’40s. Essentially a biopic of a Dutch banker named Walraven van Hall, the film begins its story in the German-occupied Netherlands.
Van Hall is approached by one of the members of the resistance who is seeking funding through his outreach. Along with his brother, Van Hall devises a foolproof network of fake loans to fund guerilla warfare and help out those in exile.
The siblings then go ahead with creating fraud guilders worth millions to aid the resistance movement from the Dutch bank, right under the nose of the Nazis. Holland is liberated soon after 1945 as Hall goes into hiding to escape.
3. Operation Finale (2018)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Operation Finale (2018)
Although several of his fellow officers were charged with war crimes after the Second World War, Eichmann managed to escape and remained under the radar.
The film documents how a team of Israeli agents travels to Argentina after confirming Eichmann’s presence in the country. They scout out his house and daily schedule for days, ultimately honing in on an abduction strategy that barely works.
However, the kidnapping alerts his personal guards, and so the Israelis soon find themselves playing a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with police authorities and Nazi officials as they try their best to escape the foreign country.
4. The Last Days (1998)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: The Last Days (1998)
The Last Days is an incredible documentary exploring the plight of prisoners during the Holocaust.
The documentary speaks about the Nazis’ final solution, wherein the Third Reich used up massive resources to kill or deport thousands of Jews from Hungary during 1944.
By then, the Nazis knew that defeat was imminent, and thus, backed into a corner, they began massacring Jews as a last resort.
Offering an authentic insight by interviewing five Hungarian Jews who survived Auschwitz and lived through the final solution, the documentary showcases how even the most terrible of evils weren’t able to suppress humanity.
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
In 1946, Lily James starred in the romantic drama, “The Diary of Juliet Ashton.
” The film tells the story of an author, Juliet Ashton, who is exchanging letters with a man who lives in Guernsey, an area that was under German occupation during the war.
This interaction piques her interest, and so she visits the island to get a better picture of what life was really like in those times.
She also learns that the fate of one person is still unknown, and so she tries to determine what has happened. The movie looks at the travesty that occurred during the German occupation through the eyes of the protagonist.
6. The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)
With the release of the film “The Zookeeper’s Wife”, Diane Ackerman has once again broken new ground in telling the dramatic story of how two Polish Jews, Jan abiski and Antonina abiski, managed to save many Jews during World War II.
The film’s opening aerial bombardment of Warsaw shows how Dr. Lutz Heck, the head of the Berlin Zoo, visits the Warsaw establishment to take away the prize animals and shoot the others.
Dr. Jan abiski, the director of Warsaw Zoo, and his wife, Antonina, decide to use their establishment as a safe haven for penguins when he returns.
The director of Warsaw Zoo, Dr. Jan abiski, intends to use his zoo as a safe haven for penguins.He and his wife, Antonina, think that it would be a good idea to place the animals in a specific area where they can’t be harmed by humans.
7. Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis (2021)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis (2021)
Although it was initially kept secret, Camp Confidential is a short animated documentary movie that documents the functioning of a top-secret US prisoner of war camp near Washington.
The camp was kept classified for around five decades and its workings remain largely unknown to the public, making it a popular choice for fans of history and documentaries alike.
The film provides a fascinating insight into the workings of the camp, which was used by Jewish soldiers to host and interrogate Nazi prisoners of war after World War II.
Even though the camp was originally designed for gypsies, Romani, and other persecuted groups, it quickly became a popular destination for Jews who wanted to conduct research into the Holocaust.
8. #AnneFrank. Parallel Stories (2019)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: #AnneFrank. Parallel Stories (2019)
In “Anne Frank: Parallel Stories,” Helen Mirren retraces the events that occurred in the young girl’s life while drawing parallels with the lives of five other women who ended up surviving the Holocaust.
A poignant tale that proves how ruthless the Nazis really were, this is one eye-opening documentary.
I truly enjoyed watching this documentary. It was interesting to see how the different stories paralleled each other and to learn more about the Holocaust itself.
This is an eye-opening documentary that should be watched by everyone who wants to understand what happened during the Holocaust.
9. Hitler: A Career (1977)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Hitler: A Career (1977)
“Hitler: A Career” documents the life and times of Adolf Hitler, a man who was characterized by his desire for power and domination.
This documentary features rare clippings, photographs, and video reels of his speeches that forever changed the course of Germany and the world.
The documentary “Reichstag Speech of Adolf Hitler” tells the story of how Adolf Hitler’s speech at the Reichstag on February 4, 1933, shifted the course of Germany and the world.
The speech was a landmark event in the history of Germany and helped to create the Nazi regime.
10. Steal a Pencil For Me (2007)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Steal a Pencil For Me (2007)
Polak was one of the lucky ones, being saved by the Allied Forces in 1945. However, his story is one that is often forgotten.
The documentary provides a unique and powerful perspective on the love story of two people during the Holocaust, and it will leave you feeling grateful for all that was faced during that time.
If you want to learn more about the love story of two people during the Holocaust, then this documentary is definitely for you. This film provides a unique and powerful perspective on the story, and will leave you feeling grateful for all that was faced during that time.
11. The Devil’s Mistress (2016)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: The Devil’s Mistress (2016)
This gentle and historical film, “The Devil’s Mistress,” beautifully documents the beginning of World War II. It follows the life of Lda Baarová, a Czechoslovakian actress who was moved to Germany in order to appear in the movie “Barcarole.”
After moving, she meets and becomes acquainted with top-ranking Nazi officer Joseph Goebbels. The two soon fall in love, and Lda settles down in her new life.
However, her closeness with Goebbels makes her aware of Nazi Germany and all that it stands for. Guilt-ridden for being linked to such a movement,
I feel a sense of guilt for being associated with such a movement. I don’t support any of its goals, and I hope people can see that.
12. The Forgotten Battle (2021)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: The Forgotten Battle (2021)
As the movie opens, we follow three unlikely characters as they try to escape from German-occupied Zeeland.
Teuntje Visser is a reluctant Resistance recruit who finds solace in the movement after her brother is executed for attacking a convoy.
Marinus van Staveren, a Dutch Nazi volunteer, sympathizes with Teuntje and tries to get a lighter sentence for her brother, but ultimately gets the upper hand.
Disillusioned by the Nazi regime and all that it stands for, Staveren grows increasingly unsure about his alliance with the Nazi cause.
Meanwhile, Glider Pilot Regiment Sergeant Will Sinclair and a few others crash land in the area before coming into combat with German forces.
Meanwhile, Glider Pilot Regiment Sergeant Will Sinclair and a few others crash land in the area before coming into combat with German forces.
13. My Führer – The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler (2007)
My Führer The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler (2007)
Yet, the film’s heart is heavy and the message is clear: even in the face of evil, there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. And that’s what makes “My Führer” a very powerful and moving film.
The film’s heart is heavy, but the message is clear: even in the face of evil, there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why I believe “My Führer” is a very powerful and moving film.
I think “My Führer” is a very powerful and moving film. The message is clear: even in the face of evil, there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why I believe it’s an important film to watch.
I saw “My Führer” last night and I absolutely loved it! The message is clear: even in the face of evil, there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why I believe it’s an important film to watch.
14. Defiance (2008)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Defiance (2008)
“Defiance” is a movie based on the very real escapades of the Bielski group and how they protected more than a thousand Jews from the Nazis.
It stars Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, and George MacKay as the Bielski brothers, and is a dramatized account of how the group stood up to the Nazi occupiers to save their fellow men.
This movie shines a light on the trials and tribulations that these people had to face in order to simply live another day.
Every person who watches “Defiance” will want to do something to help these brave men and women in their struggles.
“Defiance” provides a unique perspective on the U.S. military and the country’s role in the world and its impact on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is an important show for television and for the larger issues at hand.
I want to help these brave men and women in their struggles. I can donate my time and resources to support the project, and I encourage others to do the same.
15. Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (2005)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (2005)
There are few Holocaust sites that carry such a sense of history and vivid imagery as Auschwitz.
During World War 2, this concentration camp was only the second to be built by the Nazis and remains arguably the best-known for its murderous operations during the Holocaust.
Alongside Birkenau, Auschwitz housed hundreds of thousands of people of various faiths, nationalities, professions, and political views, with the vast majority being Jewish. Around one in four were children.
Ignoring all historical context, Nazi policy prescribed death by gassing as the most effective method to exterminate both mentally and physically disabled victims.
The entire process was supposed to be completed in around 10 minutes and often took two days or more to complete, at times assisted by specially-trained dogs who
16. Shoah (1985)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Shoah (1985)
In 1985, Claude Lanzmann released “Shoah,” a nine-and-a-half-hour documentary that served as a comprehensive account of the Holocaust.
Fifty years prior to its release, Nazis swept over Europe and sent millions of Jews to death camps. More than six million people died in the genocide. With “Shoah,” Lanzmann told an unflinching story on how these atrocities took place.
These atrocities were so terrifying and grisly that survivors did not have words to describe the horrors they witnessed. It took time before they could begin to share their experiences.
Lanzmann’s accomplishment with “Shoah” was to pull in footage from 50 interviews and edit it into a definitive film.
17. Forgiving Dr. Mengele (2006)
Best Holocaust Documentaries: Forgiving Dr. Mengele (2006)
She speaks regularly to Holocaust groups and others. She has largely overcome a stutter she developed as a child.
And, most importantly, Eva Mozes Kor has forgiven her Nazi captors, something her mother could never do before dying of cancer in the early 1980s.
This is what life is like now for one of the twins who survived experiments carried out by “Angel of Death” Nazi doctor Josef Mengele on Aug. 12, 1944, when she was 8 years old.
In an interview about her life, she tells the AP about her decision in 1989 to forgive the Nazis who carried out operations and other acts on children that earned them near-godlike status in their small community near Auschwitz.
“He was not my god. I don’t think that he deserves to be talked about as such. “
