Three Minutes: A Lengthening

In 1938, David Kurtz visited Nasielsk, Poland, and shot a home movie of its inhabitants. Decades later, his grandson finds the reels and astonishing footage: 3 minutes of historical documentation of the town's 3000 Jewish residents, all perished in the Holocaust. Director Bianca Stigter, together with Kurtz's grandson, takes us on a historical detective expedition. On the screen, we delve into the smallest of details captured in these three minutes; these are explained, deciphered, and gradually we get closer to the history, community, traditions, and daily life of the people of Nasielsk. Three Minutes is one of the most brilliant films of the year. Beyond a dazzling essay on the power of cinema and the meaning of memory, these are simply three minutes through which a world obliterated is resurrected. The result is a thrilling, heartfelt, and profound work.