THE FILM

A QUESTION OF SURVIVAL is an eye-opening portrait of three Bulgarian Jews - Chaim Zemach, a cellist; Robert Bakish, an engineer; and Misha Avramoff, a social worker on the Lower East side of Manhattan in New York - as they struggle to place their unusual experiences during World War II into the more common narrative of the Shoah. When in March 1943 the Bulgarian pro-Nazi government first postponed and ultimately cancelled the imminent deportation of the entire Bulgarian Jewish community of 48,000, Chaim, Robert, and Misha were children and young adults. They only grasped how close they came to death after they arrived in New York and learned the fate of millions of European Jews. This realization has left them questioning the value of their stories and to debate whether they are true Holocaust "survivors."

STATE INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE WITH THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

The Mission of the STATE INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE WITH THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS is to be an integrated part of international cultural relations and to support the successful implementation of the priorities of Bulgaria's foreign affairs through cultural diplomacy.

The commemoration of the International Holocaust day on January 27 is an occasion for us to remember the victims of the Holocaust, and to honor the survivors. Also to look for new ways to talk about the Bulgarian story of the Holocaust.

THE TOPIC

The topic of the fate of the Jews in Bulgaria during the Holocaust is an important part of the projects of the State Institute for Culture and the diplomatic missions of Bulgaria to reaffirm the lesson of tolerance and strength of civil society given to us in times of xenophobia, anti-Semitism, religious and ethnic prejudice. The history of the rights trampled by the official authorities, the plans to exterminate thousands of human beings and the impressive reaction of many representatives of the Bulgarian civil society is key to the establishment of the democratic values of today's Bulgaria. In these efforts, the Institute especially appreciates the partnership with artists and academic researchers who give new perspectives on the events of this horrific page in the history of civilization. And most importantly - not to limit the memory only to the numbers of destruction, but to realize the lost prospects of human talent and charity. In Elka Nikolova's film "A Question of Survival" we see this point of view and we are happy to share it with its viewers. Let this be our contribution to the common call of the World these days - #We remember.