For more than 20 years, the writer Bella has visited Jews scattered around the world who took refuge and were born in Shanghai during World War II, collecting a large number of first-hand historical materials and drawing up more than 1 million words of materials, outlines and first drafts. She took this as her eternal hometown dream and dedicated it to her birthplace of Shanghai.
At 10:00 p.m. on February 16, Bella's "Survivor's Song – Jews in Shanghai" documentary will premiere on Oriental TV. Through the documentary, viewers can follow the story of Bella's discovery of Jews in Shanghai and look back at the picture of a trans-ethnic life.
Recreate the details of Jewish life and history in Shanghai
Bella's "Jews in Shanghai" novel is planned for ten. The archetypal story includes Hollywood Gold Medal Producer Mike Medwin, Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Blumenthal, and the Jewish boy rescued in the "JiangyaLun" shipwreck.
The documentary "Survivor's Song" begins with the initial connection between Bella and Jewish themes, and in the process of her continuous exploration, excavation, collection and verification, the details of Jewish life and history in Shanghai at that time are peeled away from the dusty years and displayed in front of the audience in their original appearance. She presents the true feelings of jewish friends through historical archives and physical objects.
The novel "Survivor's Song" is a novel based on the real life of Mike Madwer's parents in Shanghai under the flames of World War II. The novel performs a tragic song of life and death in the Ten Mile Ocean Field, and is known as the Shanghai version of "Gone with the Wind". Mike was born in Shanghai in 1941, during World War II, his father David and his mother Dora fell in love and married in Shanghai, and like thousands of Jewish refugees, they were sheltered in Shanghai and spent the most difficult years of their lives.
The documentary "Survivor's Song" recreates the past of Mike Madwer's family in Shanghai during World War II. After the information about Mike's father's work for the American company was discovered, Bella made a copy of "Memories of Shanghai" and gave it to Mike. Mike's father's resume, pay stubs, photographs, and handwritten letters are all inside. Mike opened it with emotion and tears in his eyes.
What touched the Mike family the most was that Bella found the house for Mike based on the address on his father's resume. Unexpectedly, the old house still retains the daily necessities of the Mike family. As if destined in the dark, the current owner of the former house is the occupant of the Avenues apartment in 1948, and the piano and furniture teacups left by the Mike family before leaving Shanghai have been well preserved.
Because of Shanghai, there are these "survivors' songs"
Today, Mike Madway is a well-known Hollywood producer, and his works as producer or executive producer include "Flying Over the Madhouse", "The Silence of the Lambs", "Sleepless Night in Seattle", "Dancing with Wolves", etc., and has won the Academy Award for Best Picture eight times. Mike's parents lived in Shanghai for 24 years. Bella met Mike's mother, Dora, and they communicated fluently in Shanghainese. Every time she saw Bella, Dora wanted to follow her back to Shanghai, back to the place where She used to live. This also opened bella's search journey. The documentary returns to the bits and pieces she and Mike searched for in the streets of Shanghai, vividly restores the true story and historical background, and interprets the profound theme of the community of human destiny through the scroll of the ups and downs of Mike's parents.
Mike Medvo was touched by the 15th Shanghai International Film Festival and said: "Shanghai is my root for me. My parents have lived here for 24 years and they often mention Shanghai. In fact, it was Shanghai that saved their lives and provided them with a safe place to live, for which I am very grateful. ”
The same thing is said by Lawrence. The latter is a professor at Harvard Law School in the United States and a well-known constitutional expert. He has said many times: "Without Shanghai, I probably wouldn't have survived at all." My parents were Jewish refugees who escaped the Holocaust. Because of the Shanghai haven, the rest of my life is possible. This history shows the great love of Shanghai, the simple enthusiasm of the Shanghai people, and the historical chapter of cross-ethnic cultural integration. ”
Bella looked back at her hometown with literature and completed several manuscripts. Among them, the published "Magic Piano" and "Survivor's Song" have been highly concerned by the Jewish world after being translated and published by the well-known American sinologist Ge Haowen. Mr. Edward, Consul General of Israel in Shanghai, praised Bella as an emissary of Cultural Exchange between China and Israel. Ronald Harwood, the screenwriter of the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, "The Pianist," has completed the screenplay for The Enchanted Piano, a companion piece to The Pianist. In addition, Bella's "Jews in Shanghai" series of long works such as "No. 59 Zhoushan Road" and "Golden Temple on the Sea" will be published one after another.
The documentary "Survivor's Song" is planned and produced by Shanghai Qiyuan Culture. Starting from February 14, the 30-second promotional video of "Survivor's Song" was launched on Oriental SATELLITE TV at 17:33, 18:58, 21:19 and 22:40.