Marc Bennett is a prime example of a creative professional applying his skills in various ways. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he received his education at The Brooklyn Museum Art School, The School of Visual Arts in New York City, and Otis Parsons and Art Center in Los Angeles. He got his break in the industry designing sets for theatrical, musical, and operatic productions in New York and Los Angeles and has never looked back. His extensive resume includes a two-time recipient of the Dramalogue Critics Award for Best Scenic Design, Art of California Magazine’s “Discovery Award” and the Stamford Art Association’s “Color Award. We should also mention his art and photography has been shown in exhibitions across America, and form parts of many private collections. As a director, he has helmed feature films, documentaries, music videos, and national commercials. We had the opportunity to speak to him about his latest project ‘The Tattooed Torah’
Hi Marc, thank you for granting the interview. Congratulations on the success of ‘The Tattooed Torah.’ Before I ask some questions regarding the film, how did you get into filmmaking?
I was an artist for as long back as I can remember. I was always creating paintings, photos then set designs for theater, then advertising. It was a constant flow of work. My best friend since I was 12 years old, Paul Ben-Victor, became a successful actor and introduced me to film and directing. He thought it was the natural next step for me. After I made my first short film I was hooked. The film incorporated everything that I loved about the visual arts, then adding movement and sound. I also loved the collaborative nature of filmmaking. It was a break from the more individual process of creating art. I started out making TV commercials. I had a great run and got to work with many amazingly talented actors, producers, set and costume designers, and academy award-winning directors of photography. It was the best training ground I could have ever imagined. From there I started doing documentaries, shorts, and features. I am especially drawn to documentaries and their organic nature, as well the ability they offer to take deep dives into subject matter that I am passionate about.
This animated short just kind of fell into my lap and was not something I went out looking to do. It was just the right project at the right time and was a project I felt had an important message that needed to be shared globally.
Was this always an animated project you wanted to work on?
I was part of a juried Judaic art show at Moriah Synagogue in Chicago for my art project “The History of the Star of David” ( www.starofdavidart.com ) when I was introduced to Beth Kopin. She wanted to adapt her mother, Marvell Ginsburg’s, renowned children’s book “The Tattooed Torah” into an animated film. Marvell was the former Director of Early Childhood Education for the Board of Jewish Education in Chicago. The book, written over 30 years ago, became a powerful resource for Holocaust education for children, teaching difficult lessons in an impactful and palatable manner.
Beth showed me a copy of the book and explained the story to me. I saw the magnificent illustrations by Martin Lemelman and thought that the story was so simple and engaging for young children that I immediately said to her, “I will do it!” I have always loved projects that involve children and I truly believed this was an important story that needed to be told, now, more than ever.
I contacted my friend Melinda Goldrich of the Goldrich Family Foundation for the main funding, Stephen Smith at the USC Shoah Foundation for educational distribution, Ed Asner for narration, and my good friend Lisa Effress and her company 11 Dollar Bill to produce the film. It was amazing how everyone believed in the project as much as I did and enthusiastically joined the team.
We then did a Spanish version of the film with narration by Latin actor Fernando Allende and the voice of the young boy by his son Adán Allende.
Four years later with the help of our amazing donors, and the production team we completed a film that we are all extremely proud of. So far the film has been chosen as an Official Selection of 20 film festivals worldwide with many more in the works. FirstGlance Philadelphia Film Festival which we are very excited about is #20. In January of 2021, the film will be launched on USC Shoah Foundation’s educational platform ( https://iwitness.usc.edu/sfi/ ) that will make the film and accompanying educational program available to children through schools and classrooms around the world.
The film was done with cutout animation which is a form of stop-motion animation using flat characters, props, and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric, or even photographs. The props would be cut out and used as puppets for stop motion or animation inside the computer. Cutout animation can be made with figures that have joints made with a rivet or pin or when simulated on a computer, an anchor. Today, cutout-style animation is frequently produced using computers, with scanned images or vector graphics taking the place of physically cut materials. While we DID utilize the technique, we did NOT use stop motion, only the technique of cutting out Martin’s art, layering it, painting in the missing background elements, and animating the elements in After Effects, by creating joints to animate arms, heads, legs, etc. We had two amazing animators, Jeffrey Pittle of Pittleworks, and Christian Robins of 11 Dollar Bill that did a wonderful job bringing Martin’s illustrations to life while maintaining the integrity of the original art
I called Ed Asner who I had worked with before and asked him if he would do the narration for the film. Before I could finish explaining the project and how important and vital I felt the need was to educate children about this subject matter, he said “I’m in.” He is an incredibly human being and a consummate professional. He is one of the most prepared actors I have ever worked with and during my first feature, that he was part of the ensemble, he helped me with so many suggestions and insights that made directing him a true joy and priceless learning experience.
The film is based on Marvell Ginsburg’s book, ‘The Tattooed Torah’. For readers unfamiliar with it, please share with us the synopsis of the film and how aligned it is to the original story?
“The Tattooed Torah” is an animated film based on the renowned children’s book that has been educating young children about the Holocaust for generations.
Over the last three decades, the beloved children’s book by Marvell Ginsburg, “The Tattooed Torah,” has been a powerful resource for Holocaust education for children all over the world. The book recounts the true story of the rescue and restoration of a small Torah from Brno, Czechoslovakia, and teaches the Holocaust not only as a period of destruction but also as an opportunity for redemption. Marvell was the director of Early Childhood Education for the Board of Jewish Education in Chicago for many years and is the author of numerous books and articles. The adaptation of “The Tattooed Torah” into an animated short film is a three-generational endeavor, initiated by Marvell’s daughter, Beth Kopin, who first had the dream to transform this book into a film, and is one of the executive producers. Beth’s son Brett, the co-screenwriter of the screenplay, is currently a rabbinical student in Los Angeles.
The film brings illustrator Martin Lemelman’s rich artwork to life and will allow this story to reach a much broader audience all over the world. Now more than ever, it is essential to continue teaching the lessons of the Holocaust to young children in an impactful and palatable way, so that such horrific events are never forgotten and never repeated.
The film was supported by The Goldrich Family Foundation in association with USC Shoah Foundation. How involved were they in the production?
We were so fortunate to have The Goldrich Family Foundation come on as a presenting partner since they are one of the major funders of Holocaust education around the world. They are connected to many of the leading Holocaust museums and institutions such as Holocaust Museum Los Angeles (next to the Grove) and USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education, who also came on as a presenting partner and is providing the educational distribution via their online platform. Both The Goldrich Family Foundation and USC Shoah Foundation are instrumental in getting our film out to children around the world. They were both extremely supportive and encouraging of the project from inception to completion.
Congratulations on your official selection for the FirstGlance Film Fest. How has the film been received?
Thank you. We are very excited about every film festival we have been chosen to be a part of and having the film seen by audiences around the world. So far the reactions have been extremely positive. Our first film festival in Chicago was live and had a wonderful turnout and Q&A with the production team. That was right before COVID hit. All of the festivals since then have been virtual which is great that the film is getting out there and festivals are figuring out how to adapt to this challenging time, but we do miss the in-person interaction with the audiences. We also did a few private screenings in Chicago before COVID at a Holocaust museum and at the school where the actual Torah that is in the book and movie lives. These were both really exciting because we were able to watch the film with adults as well as hundreds of young children. And the most rewarding part of it all was seeing how incredibly engaged and interested the kids were with this very emotional and sensitive subject.
Overall, the animation, Ed’s narration, and the film score that we recorded in Moscow with a 60 piece orchestra and a 20 piece choir were all really well received.
What other projects should we look forward to seeing you involved in?
I am currently in post-production on a feature-length documentary I co-directed with Tim Roper entitled “Ride for the Living” (working title). The synopsis is; In the 75 years since 6 million Jews perished in the Nazi murder factories of Europe, subsequent generations have continued to recite the mantras “Never forget” and “Never again” while at the same time witnessing one genocide after another and a recent tide of nationalism, anti-Semitism and even denial. Now, by documenting an annual bike ride (Ride for the Living) that retraces the steps of a young Polish Holocaust survivor from Auschwitz to Krakow in 1945, and studying the unlikely relationship that arose between that survivor and a 30-year old cycling enthusiast today, we can begin to reveal how human empathy is both a journey and a weapon of defense. And we explore whether the power of empathy might actually be harnessed to face down the way perpetrators of genocide have marshaled fear, ignorance, bigotry, hatred, and anti-Semitism. To convert mere remembrance into empathetic action and extinguish the de-humanization that makes genocide possible.
Where will we find out more information about you?
Marc Bennett – imdb.com
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3146778/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1
The Tattooed Torah website:
Marc Bennett art project – “The History of the Star of David”
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