SHTTL (2022) is Ukrainian-French drama depicting a Jewish shtetl in Ukraine on the eve of the Nazi invasion known as Operation Barbarossa. The film follows Mendele, a filmmaker who returns from Kyiv to reunite with the love of his life, disrupting the balance of the entire town. Shot in a single unflinching take and featuring nearly all-Yiddish dialogue, SHTTL captures one final day in the life of the shtetl before its disappearance.
Sponsor: VCU Harry Lyons Chair in Judaic Studies