Dark Lullabies

The moral potency of Dark Lullabies awakens our sleeping conscience and renders the film unforgettable.

— Bernice Eisenstein, The Canadian Forum

Thirty years later, haunted by questions raised by reading her father’s manuscript, Irene Lilienheim Angelico embarks on a quest to understand her parents’ experiences in the feature documentary, Dark Lullabies.

Dark Lullabies is a film about a generation possessed by a history in which they played no part. The filmmaker Irene Lilienheim Angelico brilliantly explores the impact of the Holocaust on a generation of Jews and Germans born after the war. Now, years later, many children of Survivors feel deeply affected by their parents’ ordeal in the war, just as their German contemporaries have to live with the burden of guilt, or often denial, about the crimes of their parents’ generation.

Dark Lullabies has drawn large audiences and critical acclaim throughout the world and has brought home six top international film prizes, including First Prize at the International Film Festival in Mannheim, Germany, and First Prize for The Most Memorable Film at The World Television Festival in Tokyo.

Film information
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  • First Prize – International Film Festival of Mannheim (1985)
  • Special Prize, Most socially-Politically Engaging Film – International Film Festival of Mannheim (1985)
  • Ecumenical Jury award – International film Festival of Mannheim (1985)
  • Audience Award – International Film Festival of Mannheim (1985)
  • Second Prize – Education Jury, International Film Festival of Mannheim (1985)
  • Most Memorable Film – World Television Festival, Tokyo (1986)
  • Best Feature Film Nominee – Torino International Festival of Young Cinema (1986)
  • Red Ribbon – American Film Festival (1986)
  • Prix du Public, NFB’s “International Salute to the Documentary” (Dark Lullabies selected as one of 50 best documentaries of all time) (1989)