Nazi Drawings wins Mid-America Emmy Award

Viewer Reactions

Reactions at High School & College Screenings Extraordinarily powerful. A wonderful introduction to The Nazi Drawings. It would be a great way for teachers to introduce responses to the Holocaust. - Melissa Morain The powerful use of music, disturbing images, and interviews with the man behind it all moved me to tears many times. - Emily Maxwell This documentary is extremely well presented. For as little exposure to the feelings behind the Holocaust as we get in high school, this film clearly shows the intense pain that was truly involved. It is disturbing as well as moving. - Allison Spies Amazing film. They are wonderful drawings but terrible to look at. It hits you so hard, it brought tears to my eyes. The documentary takes you in and won't let you go, even if you want to. Powerful. - Hillary Harper The movie portrayed a piece of history that often people don't want to remember. It was very interesting to see the Drawings after seeing the real-life scenes. It had an impact that I could never forget. Those images of the paintings will always remain in my mind. The pain and horrors that people went through. This movie should be shown to every age that can really comprehend it. It shows a piece of history that can't be portrayed as well in the textbook. - Michelle Shultz This was a very powerful presentation that had a strong effect on me. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the Holocaust. The Nazi footage added very much to the documentary and almost brought me to tears. It hit me so hard that I couldn't breathe for a moment. - Cesarina Fuortes The video put images and ideas in my mind about the Holocaust that I had never though of before. It was interesting to watch. The music in the film gave it a very dramatic effect. Hearing Lasansky talk about his work was very moving. The clips from the Holocaust made me realize that it was worse than I had thought. - Cassie Conklin I thought that the documentary was very well put together. I didn't know anything about the Drawings until today. It felt like I was looking at them in the first person. - Lee Price Really informative. I saw a point of the War that I never saw before. I think it is very educational. The music with the pictures and the interviews were very powerful. - Dana Knerr What you have grasped and collaborated into this documentary is the most powerful thing I have ever seen. The pictures depicting the destruction and murder of minorities were so gruesome and so real this it was painful to think this occurred. You made a very powerful piece and it was extremely emotional and moving. I commend you on your depiction of the Nazi Drawings. - Dianna Maurer I think it is amazing that one man, not being in the Holocaust, could create such unique and powerful paintings. - Jonathan Whalen This documentary really made me realize even more how absolutely horrible the Holocaust was. Before this, I thought that information the people telling me about the Holocaust was redundant and I didn't really feel anything anymore when I heard things about the Holocaust, but seeing this documentary made me feel the distraughtness and sadness I hadn't felt in an extremely long time. This documentary showed me a side which I hadn't seen before. I think part of the reason I thought the Holocaust was redundant was because I saw a unilateral perspective of the Holocaust. But now that I've seen new perspectives, I now am distressed again just as much as I was when I first heard about the Holocaust. - anon. The Nazi Drawings Documentary was eye-opening. The music and visual images of the Drawings were very powerful. - Mica Jester The movie touched me and brought tears to my eyes. The music helped a lot to add emotion. Beautiful job. I think it would be a wonderful privilege to meet such an extraordinary man. - Veronica Castilo I thought the Drawings were very powerful and emotional. People who look at these should realize that the past shouldn't happen again, because the world is full of evil monsters taking the lives of the innocent. The music created a very sad depressing effect. The production was phenomenal! - anon. The Drawings were very realistic. It showed a lot of the horror during the Holocaust. - anon. The archival footage at the beginning was very powerful and really helped to set the mood and really helped to understand how Mauricio felt and why he did the drawings. The art is very powerful. - anon. I liked your documentary, and the transitions. It was very mature. - anon. I thought that the drawings were very interesting. It was very brave of him to draw such an important historical event. I think it will open peoples' eyes a lot more, and make them realize how horrible it must have been for the Jews back then. It should never have happened. - David Noriega I think Lasansky's idea to create the Nazi Drawings was a good idea. He expressed the Holocaust in a very creative but true way as to what the Holocaust was like. He was able to open many eyes and mine too, through these drawings. It's good that we haven't forgotten the past. - Darryl Cornish The music really seemed to project sorrow and despair...the flow of the film seemed really good. - anon. I like how the editing went well with the music. You did a great job overall on this piece. - Jason Smith The way the Drawings were presented was intense and very real. The music went perfectly with the themes of the drawings and the images shown on screen. - Ben Harston I thought it was very informative. I have never heard of these drawings before which is sad since I live in Iowa City. The video helped me understand the Holocaust and the Drawings. - Emily Jordison These drawings captured something that can't be taught. The film was very graphic but it was necessary to show what the Nazis did. - anon. It is very provocative and intense. - Jordan Bissell I was deeply moved by the images the Nazi Drawings brought to mind. The movie was put together very well so it presented the paintings in a very emotional way. - Mark Reisinger I thought the movie was emotionally moving and a wonderful compilation of images and thoughts. A meaningful masterpiece. - Daniel Babb I thought this film was very deep. It really makes you think about what WWII was like. I think this movie displays a lot of emotion and sadness. - Travis Wirth Good video! It was very emotional, but powerful at the same time. These are very interesting drawings and I am glad I got to see them. - Megan Riley I thought that they did a wonderful job showing his paintings in this video. It was very powerful. I made me get more of a reality check on what actually happened during WWII - I knew it had happened because I've read things about it, but actually seeing pictures gave it a whole different feeling. - Jenni Kledis This movie was shocking. The first part with the dead bodies being dumped in the hole grabbed me...I really enjoyed this documentary. The (drawings of the) children were what grabbed me the most. - Missy Carlson I found your documentary to be very powerful and intriguing. I am glad to know that there are still those out there raising the awareness of the events of the Holocaust and educating others. This is not an event that should be forgotten, but remembered always and learned from. I also felt that the footage from the concentration camps helped to make the film a success. I, as well as the students of City High appreciate your coming and sharing your work with us. - Tiffany Wheatland The documentary evoked deep emotional responses and forced the viewers to accept the harsh, murderous realities of the Holocaust. It examines the intricate relationship between art and emotions. - Brian Ferentz An amazing job of capturing the originality of Lasansky's pieces. He really was an amazing human and artist. I thought the interviews and filming were done perfectly, and even though the film was rather graphic I was thoroughly impressed. The music was beautiful. - Amber Thalken Thoughtful, riveting interpretation of the Holocaust. Wonderful music. - Liz Pate I really liked the artwork. It clearly expressed his emotions on the subject. The abstract faces really stick in your mind. - anon. I thought the documentary really did a good job with showing how much the artwork meant to people and the impact it made. It really made me understand the drawings better. If I would have just gone in and seen the pictures, I wouldn't have understood it at all. - anon. The music and pictures flowed excellently. I could feel the horror and tragedy in the music. - Rachel Gannon This was a very touching film. The pictures had very strong meaning and your film presented a good background of historical events and how they effected and still effect our nations and it's people today. - Dan Dombroski I thought the video did an excellent job of portraying Lasansky's paintings of the Holocaust. Those paintings were filled with a lot of emotion. I recently did research about the Holocaust and it was interesting to look at the paintings. - Dana Dunham Very interesting. The Drawings were wonderful and the narration helped me understand so much more that just looking at the drawings. I really liked the music - it brought everything to life. - Rebecca Hoefer The footage of the concentration camps was very disturbing. I had never seen anything like that. The drawings were very powerful as well. I can tell there was a lot of hard work put into this documentary. - Christy Darner The documentary showed very vivid pictures of people being shoveled and thrown around without being recognized as human. It was the first time I had seen these images and it brought the Holocaust into another light. - anon. Excellent score. Insightful narration. Though I've never seen the collection, I felt this film gave an even-handed portrayal. This is an unbiased documentary about inspiring works of art. - anon. Showed the real meaning of the Nazi Drawings and the Artist. Strong impact. Smooth transitions. Very direct, very real. - anon. This documentary is powerful and informative. It grasped the true emotions of an artist that opened himself to the pain of the Holocaust. Very well put together. - Lisa Downes The drawings themselves are brilliant and in a way they are disrupting, but that's how they're supposed to be. I personally like the way the film was made. The footage of the concentration camps at the beginning was very effective. Most documentaries aren't that interesting, but this is one that is definitely intriguing. - Jessica Janss This documentary was amazingly vivid, the images seemed to leap off the screen. I felt chills looking at the drawings. The way you incorporated the film from the death camps was fascinatingly horrid. This documentary has had a deep impact on me. - anon. It was very powerful and emotional. I don't think I've ever been so moved, not even during Schindler's List. This documentary was extremely well done and I would be happy to recommend it anytime. - Katy Pedersen Breathtaking - intense. One of the best documentaries I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. - Ian Lee

 

 

Reactions from Public Screenings

"The documentary of this work could not have been put together in a better fashion. Excellent preservation of a very moving group of drawings." - Michael George, MD "A poignant and evocative tribute, sensitive and horrific." - P. Holtgrave "The documentary is as powerful as the drawings!" - anon. "Mauricio Lasansky's Nazi Drawings are a powerful indictment of the Nazi's horrific war against humanity. The Nazi Drawings Documentary is an invaluable compendium of the artist and his work." - Rabbi Jeff Portman "The Nazi Drawings took on a whole new meaning for me when the artist himself took the time to explain what he had drawn and painted." - J. Walsh "Very powerful. We as viewers were reluctant to break the powerful impact of the film with our applause." - anon. "Prof. Lasansky has given the world a powerful message through his art. A powerful documentary of man's inhumanity to man." - Daphne J. Fuhrmeister "We went to the viewing of Lane Wyrick's documentary this afternoon. It is beautifully done in our estimation--every aspect of it. Congratulations to those who have been honored and to all who contributed to it." - John and Mary Beth Schuppert "It is an overwhelming experience to watch this documentary. It gives one much to ponder about man's inhumanity to man. The organization of the video holds one's interest throughout. I'm pleased that this video has been produced while Mauricio Lasansky is still alive." - Suzanne Peters "Too powerful and overwhelming for me. A masterpiece for the Arts. The accompanying music was haunting yet exciting at the same time. A realistic vision into an awful past, but history just the same." - William M. Bilslard III "The film on The Nazi Drawings was very powerful and succinct. Its richness of substance left me desirous for more!" - Gretchen H. Blair "We had no thought of attending todays performances...(we are) two people here today who are far afield from these disciplines - art, prints, music, and galleries. But we are not distant from knowledge of the Holocaust and violence and the fact that we must remember, always remember, to protect the awfulness from overwhelming us." - anon. "Thank you, thank you! I brought my children to help educate them." - anon. "Excellent consistency that created a collage of experience, yet each picture held insightful individualism." - Susan Paulson "I appreciate the tech, the art, the empathy that had to synthesize in this documentary experience." - Bev Witwer "The documentary was excellent. Drawings came across as grotesque which represents the true reality of the subject matter." - Victoria J. Airy "Parts of the documentary touched me profoundly...I appreciated it very much." - anon. "Sincere congratulations to Mauricio Lasansky for his major contribution to art and humanity. And to Lane Wyrick--a 'labor of love', this documentary." - Mildred H. Lavin "Very moving. I have viewed Lasansky's work at the UI Museum many times and brought my father - a WWII veteran to view them. As a child I was exposed to the newsreels and stories my father brought back from the front and I, too, could not comprehend why - man's inhumanity to man." - Lynne Goldman Hungerford "Well done. Everyone should have a copy." - anon. "As and old - emphasis on old - friend of the Lasanskys - I was impressed and touched by the authenticity of the documentary. It reflects Mauricio's philosophy and fervor accurately and in his own words: ideas I've heard him express often for they reflect a life-long set of beliefs. All this adds up to a single word: Wow! Congratulations on an excellent film." - Roy Sieber

Back to top