A Holocaust-era drama from Austria won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film.
“The Counterfeiters” beat out the Israeli war film “Beaufort” and three other international contenders to take the Oscar at Sunday night’s ceremony in Los Angeles.
The winning film explores the moral dilemmas faced by Jewish counterfeiters forced into helping the Nazis try to undermine Allied economies during World War II.
Director Stefan Ruzowitzky said making “The Counterfeiters” helped him grapple with Austria’s role in the Holocaust and the fact that his grandparents had been Nazi sympathizers.
Despite disappointment in Israel at “Beaufort” not taking the Oscar, the film’s producers said they were happy to have been in the running and the nomination would help foreign sales.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
