The Rescuers â Last-Chance Project is an upcoming documentary directed by Michael W. King. It compiles first-hand accounts of non-Jewish diplomats named Righteous Among the Nations for their efforts saving Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It is the sequel to The Rescuers (2011).
Michael W. King was approached in 2021 by the USC Shoah Foundation for the survivor testimonies from âÂÂThe Rescuersâ for their Visual History Archive. In building the testimonies for the Andrew J. and Joyce D. Mandell International Rescuers Collection, King decided to expand his research efforts to identify additional survivors and relatives to document the stories of additional diplomats with Righteous Among the Nations status. With that developed âÂÂThe Rescuer Last Chance Project,â a âÂÂrace against timeâ to identify the people who knew the remaining diplomats and Holocaust survivors who benefited from their assistance, to tell those stories.
Across a span of two years, filming commenced in July of 2022 in Israel. Over the course of three months filming of survivors, second generation, and family members of the Righteous was done across Israel, Sweden, The Netherlands, France, Spain, and Portugal. In March of 2023, time was split between filming in Ecuador, the country of Righteous Manuel Antonio Munoz Borrero, and Brazil, the country of Righteous Aracy De Carvalho. Both family members and survivors, and 2nd gen were interviewed during this time. During July of 2023, production time was spent in Vancouver filming reenactments, and 2nd generation and survivor interviews. From there, filming was done on the other side of Canada, in Toronto, filming survivors and 2nd generation. In the starting months of 2024, filming was done in Phoenix, Arizona, Boca Raton, Florida, and Brooklyn, New York of family members of the Righteous and also of 2nd generation and survivors rescued by these diplomats. Production concluded on November 22nd with the filming of reenactments in Budapest, Hungary and the filming of the stepdaughter of Righteous Diplomat, Carl Lutz.