Title

ENTRY DENIED (documentary) 

True story of the last few survivors of S.S. President Warfield (Haganah Ship Exodus 1947). This documentary tribute to the "illegal" immigrants fought with the British Navy and were sent back to D.P. Camps in Germany. Their story eventually became the basis for Leon Uris’ novel Exodus, which, in turn, inspired a movie by the same name, starring Paul Newman. 

Approx 9.5 million Jews lived in Europe before the Holocaust had occurred. At the end of WWII six million were systematically murdered by the Nazis and their allies. More than one million were children. Nazis ran more than 40.000 concentration camps and ghettos in Germany and German-occupied counties across Europe. The major death camps were Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Bergen-Belsen, Mauthausen, Dachau, Sobibor, and Treblinka. In Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Lithuania and other Easter European areas Jews were put into ghettos while the Nazis decided what to do with them. Soon the ghettos began to be vacated by mass deportations to the death camp. Jews were loaded and forced to stand in horrible crowded and sealed cattle wagons for days without food and water until they reached their destination. The Nazis' goal when closing Jews in ghettos was not only to deprive them of their human rights, but to deprive them of their human dignity. The living conditions of all camps were brutal and the death rates high. Babies and young children, pregnant women, the elderly, the handicapped and the sick selected to die first. Those who had survived Hitler’s terribly brutal dictatorship, changed forever.

The Story:

With every passing year, we lose an important part of living history. In this feature length documentary "Entry Denied", Holocaust survivors provide important testimony to the horrors of one of the darkest periods of humanity. They are among the last few Holocaust survivals of more than 4554 refugees incl. more than 600 children and crew members sailed from France aboard the SS Exodus 1947 Haganah ship “formerly the President Warfield” bound for a new life in the Promised Land. Before they achieved their dreams the British Royal Navy seized the ship and dispatched to prevent their immigration to Palestine. Next day passengers were transferred to Displaced Persons (DPs) camps in on caged prison ships to British occupied zone of Germany where they lived under guard and behind barbed wire fences. Underground Jewish organizations started to smuggle people to U.S. zone and some of them were already in Israel on May 15, 1948, when the nation declared its independence.

About the project: 

I started the "Exodus" project in the summer of 2013 with the help of several organization and the relatives of survivors. Took long to get in touch with the survivors themselves. There are only a few alive today and their health worsens as they get older. The primary purpose of making the film is to raise public awareness about the true story of the Exodus 1947 Haganah ship, the last Holocaust survivors and the crew members and of course the establishment of the State of Israel. 

The pre-production is almost finished, but now I need help and looking for cooperation, fund and sponsorship. Making even a low budget feature-length documentary is expensive. There are numerous costs involves including production expenses, equipment rentals, location permits, travel expenses, post production facilities (editing, color correction, audio mixing, subtitling and recording of the film’s narration, etc.), archival material, and then premiere at festivals and beyond. 

This is an amazing story that needs to be told and shared with the world. 

If you’re a survivor or a relative of a survivor whose story you want to share or maybe would like to help me to bring this story to life and support the film, feel free to contact me for further details.  If you are unable to contribute financially but would like to help out otherwise, please spread the word. 

H.M.

Nazis repeatedly visited their home to confiscate their belongings. They were loaded onto wagons. They paid a border smuggler to bring them across the river with a convoy of refugees. They tried to find other members of their family but all perished in Auschwitz. Finally they boarded the Exodus. Her mother and brother also were aboard the ship though they did not have an opportunity to see one other since they were separate decks.

F.G.

She fled to Siberia. Her parents, a brother and two sisters remained behind, ultimately perishing at the hands of the Nazis.  The British Royal Navy cruiser Ajax and five destroyers tailed the Exodus and demanded by loudspeakers that the ship discontinue its journey. At last the soldiers used force and the battle started. The refugees fought back with cans of food, iron bars, metal buckets and bottles. In Haifa the passengers transferred to three caged transport ships Runnymede Park, Ocean Vigour and Empire Rival whch sailed back to Port-de-Bouc, near Marseilles than Germany. In a displaced persons camp in Germany she became close to a man who later became her husband. 

G.A.

His parents were taken into the ghetto, while non-Jewish people risked their life to hiding him. On the open sea blue-white flag with the Star of David was hoisted and Hatikvah, later to become the Israeli national anthem, was sung. The British opened fire and threw tear-gas bombs. Having no weapons on-board, passengers and crew fought back by throwing potatoes, caned food, bottles and fruit. Approx. 200 passengers were wounded and 3 were killed. When Israel’s independence was officially declared May 14, 1948, “People were going out and dancing in the street. 

Y.S.

Upon arrival at Auschwitz, He was separated from the rest of his family. His mother learned that the camp doctor, Dr. Mengele, was looking for twins. Y. and his sister were taken for experiments. Y. sister was taken on a death march while he was left behind with about 35 other twins. Fortunately they're both survived the tragedy. They stayed for two years in a children's home in Germany before boarded the Exodus Haganah ship for Palestine, but they dream didn't come true, They were forced to turn back and landed in a German D.P. camp. Thanks to the Mossad finally they're succeeded and sailed to Haifa. They were sent to a youth aliyah kibbutz with another ''Mengele twins''. 

N. K.

He was deported to Auschwitz, forced to join the Auschwitz boxing squad, in which Jews fought each other for the amusement of the commandants. Survived both the camps and the death marches. Joined the Mossad protecting Jews in Diaspora. Served as first mate aboard the ship Exodus.

Targeted Budget: $$$

Locations: Israel, US

Additional locations might be: Germany, Poland, France, Hungary

Scheduled to begin filming: ASAP 

Producer and Presenting Partner/Executive Producer credits available

- Applicants should preferably have previous film or television production experience in a principal role (director, co-director, producer, co-producer)

 If you are interested in Co-Production opportunities: 

-  Credits and Logo will be included the section of the film credit scrolls and on the website, mentioned on film poster, DVD backside cover and in press releases, plus you will get a collector's edition DVD signed by the filmmakers

Sponsors are welcome to participate 

- Companies or institutions that have a direct and immediate interest in this feature length documentary 

Sponsorship level:

Premium sponsors: The Premium Sponsor credit is for those who have sponsored the project in cash, services or material with at least 50,000 US$ (* * * *)

Platinum  sponsors: The Platinum Sponsor is for those sponsoring the project with at least 10,000 US$ (* * *)

Gold sponsors: The Gold Sponsor is for those sponsoring the project with at least 5,000 US$ (**) 

Silver sponsors: The Silver Sponsor is for those sponsoring the project with at least 2,500 US$ (*) 

Bronze sponsors: The Bronze Sponsor is for those sponsoring the project with at least 1,000 US$ (*) 

(* * * *) Credits and Logo will be included the section of the film credit scrolls and on the website, mentioned on film poster and DVD backside cover and in press releases, plus you will get a collector's edition DVD signed by the filmmakers

(* * *) Credits and Logo will be included the section of the film credit scrolls and on the website and DVD backside cover, plus you will get a collector's edition DVD signed by the filmmakers

(**) Credits and Logo will be included the section of the film credit scrolls and on the website,  plus you will get a collector's edition DVD signed by the filmmakers

(*) Credits will be included the section of the film credit scrolls, plus you will get a collector's edition DVD signed by the filmmakers

Your donation will go to a project that once it makes it’s budget has the potential to be screened on several television channels and festivals.