Remembering WW II: 2 Dutch Docu’s to Be Screened in Washington DC

Wed, May 4 - Tue, May 24  2016

Netherlands Embassy - Washington Embassy Region

In remembrance of the Second World War, Dutch documentaries “Ageless Friends” and “Ben Ali Libi, Magican” will be shown in Washington DC on May 4 and May 24.

On Wednesday, May 4, Dutch Remembrance Day, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington DC, will screen the documentary “Ageless Friends,” the intimate story of a 27-year-old Dutchman who built a friendship with an American soldier from another time. On Tuesday, May 24, the story of “Ben Ali Libi, Magican” traces the life of the renowned magician Ben Ali Libi in the Washington Jewish Film Festival.

Ageless Friends

In 2002, when Dutchman Maarten Vossen was 13 years old, he adopted one of the 8,300 graves at the American Military Cemetery in Margraten. His was the grave of Private First Class James E. Wickline. Vossen started an unyielding quest to learn the story behind Wickline. In the Netherlands, as well as in West Virginia, Maarten collected bits and pieces of the big puzzle. His determination and obsession brought him very close to the life of James. Eventually he managed to win support in America to honor “his soldier” with a bridge named after James E. Wickline.

Filmmaker Marijn Poels and protagonist Maarten Vossen will be present during the screening and will answer questions from the audience afterwards.

Screening

Wednesday May 4, 6:45 PM: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Washington DC

Seating will be limited. Click here to register.

Ben Ali Libi, Magician

“Ben Ali Libi, Magician,” by Dutch director Dirk Jan Roeleven, captures the heartfelt search for Ben Ali Libi, the main character in an iconic poem of the Dutch poet Willem Wilmink. The film trace the larger story of the Holocaust by examining the magnificent life and tragic fate of renowned magician Ben Ali Libi. On June 20, 1943, Ben Ali Libi is arrested with his family and sent to Sobibor extermination camp, where he becomes one of 34,000 Dutch Jews to perish.

One of the largest and most respected Jewish film festivals in North America, the Washington Jewish Film Festival (WJFF) is an international exhibition of cinema that celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture and experience through the moving image. In addition to the annual festival, the WJFF presents an ongoing, year-round film series, in their home venue at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center.

Screening

Tuesday May 24, 7:30 PM: Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater, Washington DC

Click here to purchase tickets.

The grand daughter of Ben Ali Libi and her two children will be present at the screening.