Despite temperatures in the thirties, over 300 people gathered in New York to watch the U.S. premiere of Leon Blum: For All Mankind, a documentary produced by the University of Tampa’s film professor, Tom Garrett.
The director, Jean Bodon, was Garrett’s first film professor and is now a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at The University of Alabama, Birmingham.
The movie screened from Jan. 18- 20 and was shown as part of the Jewish Film Festival, which takes place at Lincoln Center from January 13-28.
“It was amazing that Lincoln Center Found us,” said Garrett.
Richard Pena, Director of the New York Film Festival and the Jewish Film Festival (both at Lincoln center), requested a screener, during the New York Film Festival in November which resulted in the invite.
The Lincoln Center tracked the documentary down via Cinando, a database which stores film that has been entered during the Cannes Film Festival.
The runtime of 60 minutes took the audience through Leon Blum’s interesting life, accurately depicting the ups and downs that he had to endure.
Blum was born in Paris on April 9, 1872.
Although he grew up in a Jewish household, his days spent at the Sorbonne changed his views and turned him into a socialist.
A very industrious character, Blum studied literature and law, eventually obtaining a degree in both fields.
His appreciation for socialism was very intense, which led him to obtain the chair position at the socialist party’s executive committee in 1920.
Blum became the French Prime Minister in 1936, was replaced in 1937 and obtained the position again for three months in March of 1938.
Although concerned about the growing fascism in Europe in the 1930’s, Blum made no effort to leave France and eventually was deported to Buchenwald, where he was imprisoned for two years.
Besides being the first Jewish Prime Minister of France, he was also the only person of Jewish origin to marry in a concentration camp, in 1943.
Due to the Allied armies step-by-step defeat of the Nazi troops, he was transferred to Dachau, another concentration camp, from which he was liberated in May 1945.
After the war, Blum joined the government and served once again as Prime minister, this time for a little more than a month.
He remained politically active and served as an Ambassador for Unesco before he died.
To this day, he is remembered as a role model who fearlessly fought for his principles.
After the premier, Garrett was noticeably pleased with the number of attendants and with the Q and A.
“Premiering here was a great honor. And how cool: with a film I did with my first film professor 30 years later,” said Garrett.
