The Waldheim Waltz

November 14, 2019 at 7 p.m.

2019 Academy Award - Official Selection
Best Foreign Language Film - Austria

Winner, Glashütte Original - Documentary Award
Berlin International Film Festival 2018

Introduced by Nanovic Faculty Fellow Clemens Sedmak, professor of social ethics, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame.

A film about truth and lies and how a dishonest man can rise to power.

Ruth Beckermann documents the process of uncovering former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim’s wartime past. It shows the swift succession of new allegations by the World Jewish Congress during his Austrian presidential campaign, the denial by the Austrian political class, the outbreak of anti-Semitism and patriotism, which finally led to his election.

Created from international archive material and what Beckermann shot at the time, the film shows that history repeats itself time and time again.