A HEAD SHORTER (Winner - Best Documentary Short // Best Animated Short)

Narrated by Naftali Deutsch, A HEAD SHORTER begins in the spring of 1944 when Naftali and his entire family are forced to leave their home in Kimyat, a village in the Carpatho-Ukraine region, and sent to Auschwitz. The film takes us through Naftali's journey as a 12 year old boy in the Holocaust and how he survived multiple concentration camps.

Director's Bio:

Sasha Bortnik grew up in Los Angeles, California and attended college at The University of Arizona where she studied Creative Writing and Journalism. She has always been interested in her family history, and as the grandchild of Holocaust survivors feels a responsibility to tell their stories. A HEAD SHORTER, a film about her great uncle, demonstrates the strength of the human spirit and how resilient we can be even in the most harrowing circumstances. She hopes that this film inspires others to remain motivated and positive in their own lives, and that it sparks conversation around how we can prevent tragedies like the Holocaust from happening again.