A Film by Offer Avnon
unspeakable
"How does one bear witness to the witnesses? How can the unspeakable be made visible? Offer Avnon tells his story. Not in a linear way – through images, voice and atmosphere, and above all: from a first-person perspective. He exposes himself to it all: what he experiences, what he is told, what he sees and learns. He shows that truth and memory can only be grasped from this perspective. And he does so in such a way that, after watching the film, you want to follow this voice’s example: to expose yourself, and bear witness".
Dr. Katrin Visse
Catholic Academy in Berlin
December 2, 2025
Ariadne's thread
"Somewhere between objectivity and dream/trauma, ‘The Rhine Flows into the Mediterranean’ arrives quietly, like a stranger from afar, from a realm beyond our imagination and beyond what can be represented: the historical event of the Shoah, reflected in the kaleidoscope of echoes from the interviewees, looking the viewer directly in the eye with a questioning gaze.
It feels as though one is allowed to look over the shoulder of a detective as he searches for clues: little by little, a force field of connections and meanings becomes visible, a coordinate system that permeates our perception like a watermark – embedded in a piece of paper from which we thought we had already read everything.
But when you hold the paper up to the light, something suddenly becomes visible that you have never seen before. In this way, you are drawn in at eye level and become part of the images you see – for what is shown is also part of our own lives today. We all take a stance on the Shoah in one way or another.
It is not a thing of the past, but part of our living present. ‘The Rhine Flows into the Mediterranean’ shows us this by allowing us to feel it. The film’s narrative serves as Ariadne’s thread through the labyrinth of the collective invisible"/.
Dr. Silvia Richter
Goethe University Frankfurt
15.5.2024 + 6.11.2024 + 7.11.2024 + 23.5.2025 + 25.5.2025
transformation
"An incisive, compelling and particularly sensitive contribution to the culture of remembrance in Germany. Offer Avnon skilfully creates dialogues between people who have never met. He leaves the audience wondering whether, had these people ever met, they would have spoken to one another at all. This subtle film not only deals with the past, but also brings the questions of history into the present. Through his film, Offer Avnon gives the audience a glimpse into his thoughts.
The post-screening discussion with Offer Avnon opened up new perspectives for the audience. With his intelligent and well-chosen answers to the audience’s questions, the director and screenwriter gave the event a very special impact and left the audience with thoughts that will undoubtedly linger".
Dr Katherina Lukat
Wiesbaden City Archives
February 8, 2024
what was told and
what was sensed
"We remember the people in the film, what was told and what was sensed; we remember places and objects steeped in history, the visible and the hidden, landscapes, wind, water and – silence.
And then, in the very aftermath, we become aware of the vast space it has opened up for us – a space in which we can encounter ourselves and others, person to person. We must not, however, shy away from the abysses.
Thank you for your film, Offer, and thank you for accompanying it and making this exchange with you possible".
Jane Wegewitz
sLAG
May 8, 2025 + May 12, 2025 + November 2, 2025 + November 5, 2025
to search
"But this is also the kind of film that makes it difficult to immediately pigeonhole people without first trying to really listen to them. And it asks many questions without directly providing answers, making it our task to search for those answers ourselves."
Thomas Behm
Die Linse Münster
May 20, 2024
continues to resonate
"Thank you for your film, which continues to resonate with me. It touches on many questions that have been on my mind for some time, such as whether and to what extent the Shoah is unique and incomparable, and what the relationship is between philosemitism and antisemitism. I appreciate that the film poses more questions than it answers, whilst also addressing the search for those answers. I found the multi-layered imagery and editing as poetic as the title, without the aesthetics masking the pain".
Esther Lauer
GCJZ Göttingen
21.5.2024+
November 20, 2024
under your skin
"Offer Avnon’s film gets under your skin and leaves a lasting impression. With its unhurried shots, it creates space for personal associations and, through its evocative visual language, gives even non-German-speaking viewers an intuitive understanding of the subject matter. At the same time, through his warm and respectful interviewing style, Offer Avnon creates an atmosphere in which interviewees in Israel, Poland and Germany reveal surprising insights into their inner thoughts and feelings.
The documentary thus illustrates, in a fragmentary form, the trauma through which the Holocaust lives on, and the mechanisms of denial observed amongst the descendants of both perpetrators and victims. What shapes an individual’s memory, perception, sense of belonging, consciousness and identity? Is any rapprochement or dialogue between relatives of perpetrators and victims even possible? Every answer raises new questions. Even the title of the film does not reveal itself without deeper reflection – leaving you with the desire to watch this intense, moving film again to uncover further facets".
Walburga Rempe
VVN-BdA Munich
21.11.2025+
May 25, 2026
"Commemoration Bingo"
(Excerpt from a lengthy report) "...in the follow-up discussion with the pupils, during which this issue was raised, it became clear that what adults who have been engaged with ‘culture of remembrance’ for years refer to as ‘sympathy bingo’ is felt to be ‘genuine’ by the young people. Even if the phrases have been trotted out a hundred times before, for the 18-year-olds they are new, sincere and authentic".
Bettina Brunner
Gabriel-von-Seidl-Gymnasium Bad Tölz
November 25, 2025
encourage
“Following the brutal and inhumane attack by Hamas – a situation in which one was quickly in danger of being overcome by a sense of hopelessness and bewilderment – it was important to us to be able to share this film, which explores the search for clues and meaning, with an audience; a film that can offer encouragement without providing easy answers”.
Felix Prasser
Traumathek Cologne
November 18, 2023
duty
"A deeply impressive documentary, screened as part of our event series ‘Le Chaim – Jewish Life and Experience in Esslingen’. A documentary? A very personal film by Israeli filmmaker Offer Avnon, which raises many questions and – fortunately – by no means answers them all. Avnon leaves that task to the viewers themselves.
Just a word on the film’s aesthetics: superbly composed, brilliant shots, and close-ups with great depth and a keen eye for every detail."