by Veronika Schallhart and Thiemo Kronlechner [University of Vienna]
Video screening on 19 November, Gymnasium am Augarten (Pilot project in Vienna – Meet the Library)
The production of the videos required enormous commitment from the participating school students who are currently completing their final year of academic secondary school. In addition to conducting interviews with descendants of and/or individuals close to persons expelled from the University during the Nazi period, the students had to think about storytelling, consider and visit locations or memorial sites for the video shoot, select clips from the video interviews and insert additional animations. This presented a great additional effort for the students, who are currently preparing for the secondary school-leaving examination.
Even with no professional camera and audio equipment, they completed this challenge with flying colours. The students demonstrated an extraordinarily high level of commitment and creativity in the production of the videos.
The screening of the final videos took place on 19 November in the festive ceremonial hall of the Gymnasium am Augarten academic secondary school. The ceremonial hall, which can accommodate 120 persons, was packed to capacity. In addition to the students of the final grade, students from the 7th grade, headmaster Árpád Krämer, history teachers Sarah Leitgeb, Bernhard Trautwein and Florian Höllwarth, as well as the buddies who had supported the students during the project, and our colleagues from the Vienna Children’s University also joined the memorial service and the video screening. We were particularly pleased to welcome two descendants and film protagonists. Dear Susanne Pollak, dear Friedl Ebner, thank you once again for attending the screening.
Video presentation in front of the school community at the Gymnasium am Augarten
Susanne Pollak and Friedl Ebner, descendants of Heinz Pollak and Rosa Ebner at the presentation.
Buddies to assist with interviews
The school students participating in this project will be supported by three prospective history teachers who are studying at the University of Vienna. These three buddies will be available to help the school students prepare and conduct the interviews. The final goal of the pilot project is to produce video portraits of the ten selected persons who were expelled from the University. The videos will feature relevant locations and documents as well as excerpts from the video interviews. The specifications for the video are 3 to 5 minutes in length, landscape format and a uniform outro. Beyond that, the students are free to design the video portraits as they wish. The videos will be presented in the school’s ceremonial hall. This will allow students who are not involved in the project to attend the presentation.
Project organizing team (from left to right): Cyril Dworsky, Sarah Leitgeb, Thiemo Kronlechner, Veronika Schallhart, Árpád Krämer, Chris Gary, Jakob Gudler, Philipp Depaoli and Thomas Troy.
All images by © Alexander Bachmayer