‘The Investigation’ Clip: Nazi Crimes Are Uncovered In Faithful Screen Adaptation Of Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials — Rotterdam​on January 27, 2025 at 12:31 pm

EXCLUSIVE: Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we can share a clip from Rotterdam title The Investigation, a new screen adaptation of Peter Weiss’s seminal play based on the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. 

Directed by RP Kahl, The Investigation will screen this week at International Film Festival Rotterdam. Described as a 240-minute “hybrid project of film, theater, and broadcast elements,” the film draws faithfully from Weiss’s play. Using notes from journalists and his observations during the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials of 1963–1965, Weiss condensed the original judicial statements into a total of 11 chapters, to depict the hell on earth that emerged during the trial. The original play, “Die Ermittlung Oratorio in 11 Cantos”, premiered simultaneously at 14 locations in 1965. 

In Kahl’s film, eight stationary cameras capture 28 witnesses, represented by an accurate range of ethnically diverse actors, reporting on the horror experienced and observed in the camp. A further 11 witnesses from the camp’s administration testify in court. The 18 defendants, represented by a defense lawyer, are confronted with the witnesses‘ descriptions during the trial and are expected to acknowledge and atone for their crimes. However, they take little or no responsibility, showing no remorse, but rather slighting the horrors retold by the defendants. A public prosecutor and a judge represent the court and conduct the trial.

The Investigation premiered in Berlin in July 2024 and received a traditional cinema release, with close cooperation with theaters and educational institutions, schools, foundations, and the German Football Association. Leonine has German rights while Radiant is handling international sales. 

Check out the clip above. 

Rotterdam Film Festival runs Jan 30 – Feb 9.