Leben und Überleben [To Live and Survive] (2025) · 92 minutes · German (English subtitles)
The Story of Erich Finsches
A film by Matthias Jaklitsch
The documentary portrays Erich Finsches, a true Viennese original and Holocaust survivor. Based on over six years of collected material by director Matthias Jaklitsch, who supported Erich on his travels, the film shows him as a positive, humorous, but also argumentative and unique personality in all his humanity. At 97, Erich continues to tirelessly advocate for remembrance of the past, attending memorial ceremonies and schools to spread his message of "Never Again." Instead of a traditional "eyewitness narrative," the film not only documents Erich's life, his youth during Nazi persecution, and his rebuilding of a new life after the war, but also the relationship between the director and the protagonist.
SCREENINGS:
Past:
World Premiere at Black Forest Film Festival 2025 (November 26, 2025)
Austrian Premiere at THIS HUMAN WORLD Festival 2025 (December 4, 2025)
Upcoming:
Jewish Film Festival Vienna 2026 (April 15, 2026)
Buenos Aires International Film Festival (August 15, 2026)
Want to screen "Leben und Überleben" at your film festival? Contact us!
You can find or press package here.
PRESS QUOTES:
Film Threat (9.5/10): "Leben und Überleben is an affecting snapshot of the Holocaust ordeal of Erich Finsches, which in its specificity illustrates more intimately the human suffering that targeted groups faced than any dry chronology ever could. Erich’s resilience kept him alive with his memories, a vital resource he shares for the benefit of the world. Our obligation is to internalize his warnings. We must heed the call when he exhorts us to show no mercy to inhumanity and fight against it, ensuring all people have a chance to live and survive."
Richard Propes/The Independent Critic (3.5/4): "Leben und Überleben is so profoundly impactful because of its relational intimacy and telling not just of Erich's story but of his relationship to the filmmaker. Finsches has a quiet resilience about him, an awareness that his survival was about luck as anything he in particular did. He refuses to toss aside this luck, sharing his memories for the cause of a better world and to damn well fight against the inhumanity he experienced so that others won't experience it."
FILM STILLS:
