BACK TO THE FATHERLAND- Opening theatrically in NY, LA and major cities in June.

FIRST RUN FEATURES PRESENTS

BACK TO THE FATHERLAND 

DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY: KAT ROHRER AND GIL LEVANON

Award-winning documentary BACK TO THE FATHERLAND will open theatrically in New York on Friday, June 14 (Cinema Village) and Los Angeles (Laemmle Music Hall) on Friday, June 28 with a national release to follow. 

Tuesday, June 4 at 11:00am

Location: Cinema Village (22 East 12^thStreet)

Filmmakers Kat Rohrer and Gil Levanon are available for interview by request timed to release.

Gil and Kat, both filmmakers, struck up a friendship during their time at college in New York City ten years ago. Gil comes from Israel, Kat from Austria. Their families’ history is strikingly different. Gil is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, Kat is one of a Nazi officer. 

The exodus of many young secular Israelis to Germany and Austria prompt Gil and Kat to embark on a journey: to find other grandchildren of Holocaust survivors who had moved to Germany and Austria and learn how their grandparents reacted to that decision. Could returning to the site of their pain decades ago create reconciliation between generations?

BACK TO THE FATHERLAND follows the journey of three families in transition; Israeli grandchildren from the “Third Generation” and their respective grandparents.The film deals with both sides of the historic tragedy and the attempt to build their own future, without ignoring the past.

KAT ROHRER (DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, AUSTRIA)

In 2002, Kat Rohrer founded her New York based production company, GreenKat Productions. Since then Kat has directed and produced more the ten short films, music videos, documentaries, and a wide variety of industrials and commercials. Kat acted as DP on the feature length documentary “Larry Flint: The Right to Be Left Alone”, which screened worldwide and has been aired on IFC. Her last documentary “Fatal Promises,” which deals with Human Trafficking, has been shown across the US and Europe in film festivals, anti-trafficking and fundraising events and college campuses.

GIL LEVANON (CO-DIRECTOR, CO- PRODUCER, ISRAEL)

Gil Levanon has been writing, producing and directing award winning commercials, industrial and short films for over fifteen years. After completing her BFA in directing and graduating with honors from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, she associate produced in The Rolling Stones Showfor MTV and later associate produced promos for USA Network ,NBC. Her short film “Manfred” won second place in the Israeli Documentary Challenge Competition and screened in Cinematheques around Israel.

ABOUT FIRST RUN FEATURES
First Run Features was founded in 1979 by a group of filmmakers to advance the distribution of independent film. First Run quickly gained a reputation for its controversial catalog of daring documentaries and fiction films. Today First Run remains one of the largest independent distributors in North America, releasing in theaters nationwide; to schools, libraries and other educational institutions; on home video on DVD and Blu-Ray; to television broadcasters; and online through a diverse group of innovative digital partners.

Recent releases include “Moynihan,” “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” “Chasing Portraits,” and “Germans & Jews.”  

Feature Documentary, 77 mins, In English, German and Hebrew (with English subtitles)