All I Had Was Nothingness

Four decades after the release of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah, this contemporary reflection shines a light on the formidable documentary’s making and legacy. Even before the nine-hour epic Shoah first graced Melbourne screens at MIFF 1987, its reputation as perhaps the greatest work of nonfiction cinema was already building. Without using any archival footage, Claude Lanzmann got to the chilling heart of the Holocaust by assembling the testimonies of survivors, witnesses and perpetrators over the course of more than a decade. Drawing from 220 hours of raw footage and Lanzmann’s own words 40 years on, this new documentary by French photographer and director Guillaume Ribot reflects on the size of Shoah’s achievement, reveals how it was constructed and embraces the tragic intimacy of its subjects. Produced by Lanzmann’s widow and premiering at this year’s Berlinale to critical acclaim, All I Had Was Nothingness is no mere behind-the-scenes curiosity but, rather, an essential companion to the documentary it revisits. Using original 16mm footage scanned in 4K, this powerful film will transport viewers back to a time when the world needed to hear Shoah’s message – and do so in a time when its own pertinent lessons about the modern world are, as ever, of vital importance. “What makes a perfect companion piece out of All I Had Was Nothingness is the way it surrenders to asking the most difficult questions in the deafening silence: the ‘why’ of the Holocaust is hauntingly present.” – The Film Stage