Lena Dunham, Stephen Fry & Julia Von Heinz Finished Making Berlin Film Festival Holocaust Comedy-Drama ‘Treasure’ Early After October 7

Caroline Frost
·3 min read
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Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry joined filmmaker Julia von Heinz for a press conference for new tragic comedy Treasure, which debuts this weekend in the Special Gala section at the Berlin Film Festival.

As well as Dunham and Fry, the drama stars Zbigniew Zamachowski and is based on the bestselling book Too Many Men by Lily Brett. Treasure is set in 1990 following the fall of the Iron Curtain. Music journalist Ruth (played by Dunham) and her father Edek (played by Fry), a Holocaust survivor, go on a tour of his homeland of Poland. Their journey takes them to Warsaw, Łódź, Krakow and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Ruth wants to explore her family’s history while Edek accompanies his daughter primarily to keep an eye on her. Only when the two visit the family’s former home and meet the Polish family who now live there does Edek’s attitude start to change.

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Director and screenwriter von Heinz told the packed press conference that the crew had made the decision to finish production as quickly as possible, following the invasion by Hamas on October 7. She explained:

“We couldn’t know what would happen after October 7, but we all exchanged messages and felt that this does something to the movie. We decided to finish earlier and show it at Berlinale. I just finished it three days ago. We feel it’s the very moment for this film.

“Does there have to be another film about this subject [the Holocaust]? Yes, there can never be enough, and we’re giving it a new perspective.”

Dunham, who also exec produced, said she hoped the film could explore “not just about a massive act of violence but the intergenerational consequences of that. It’s about the history about anti-Semitism, but also how a legacy of violence affects anybody. Hopefully an examination like this looking backwards, can help us looking forward.”

The TV star turned filmmaker lamented the real-life present day with its “shocking amount of anti-Semitic rhetoric, Islamophobic rhetoric, transphobic – the aim is to isolate people, make them feel inhuman, and that’s a universal story unfortunately.”

Fry told the conference: “To go to Auschwitz, knowing I had family who had perished in that place, was extraordinary. The generation of survivors I knew wanted me to grow up in a society free of anti-Semitism. They thought victory over the Holocaust would be to be almost unaware of it. They didn’t want the children to be burdened. But the message is slightly different, it’s too important to keep it alive. There are similar feelings now, as we know, rising up.

“I feel lucky, I grew up in a period where you don’t experience that depravity, it’s only through the record, so it’s worth telling that story.”

Von Heinz spoke about her decision to mix serious tones with lighter passages throughout the film. She explained:

“The humour comes from Lily Brett’s book. Germans wouldn’t dare to mix humour into [a Holocaust story]. John and I knew we needed to stay true to Lily’s tonality. For me, it’s easier to direct drama, and it’s a challenge to do something funny. I was looking for actors who make me laugh. No one could play it but the two of them [Dunham and Fry].”

Of her relatively serious role amid a career of hit comedy, Dunham reflected: “I always love the idea of experimenting with genre. I was surprised Julia thought of me for the movie. The fact she thought I was capable of this was a very special experience. If I go back to playing goofballs, it is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. I’m currently in production on something completely without a message, so don’t worry.”

Von Heinz co-wrote the screenplay with John Quester. Treasure is produced by Seven Elephants and Good Thing Going. It will be released theatrically on June 14 by Bleecker Street.

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