Emily and Gitta

Memories of the holocaust are interlaced with a contemporary love story in this arresting short drama. Emily, a painter, is the child of concentration camp survivors. Gitta, a photographer, grew up in Germany thinking of herself as innocent, removed from the actions of her parents and their generation under Hitler. The two meet and begin a dance of emotional and erotic intimacy. But almost as soon as it gets under way, their relationship threatens to come undone by the personal and historical legacies they do and do not share.

Directed by Tami Gold
Written by Roz Jacobs
Produced at the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women
1996, 30 minutes Color, Video

"A compelling film which realistically portrays the kind of anxiety that exists for children of survivors. It does this in a lesbian context which makes the piece all the more powerful."

Ali Cannon, Holocaust Museum of Northern California

"I was moved by EMILY AND GITTA and think it is especially important to show it to the lesbian community in Germany. This poetic film is a reminder that denial - not looking at the truth - has the power to invade relationships and destroy them."

Sandra Collins, Lesben Film Festival, Berlin

"Gold avoids easy solutions to the issues of attraction, anti-Semitism, forgiveness and collective German accountability for the Holocaust."

CURVE Magazine