Screenings of award-winning virtual-reality (VR) documentary on the Holocaust to be held in May

The Buhl Planetarium at Carnegie Science Center will host screenings in May of By the Waters of Babylon, an award-winning virtual reality documentary experience (created by award-winning filmmakers and Chatham University and Point Park University professors, Kristen Lauth Shaeffer and Andrew Halasz) that uses the medium of 360 video to take viewers on an immersive journey to the Terezin concentration camp, where they explore the lives and music of the many composers silenced by the Holocaust.  

The film interweaves images of the past and present with performances by The Clarion Quartet to tell the profound and moving story of oppressed composers under the Nazi regime. 

“By the Waters of Babylon invites viewers to meet at the intersection of past and present, with banned music of the Holocaust, its present-day interpretation, and the latest in immersive technology,” says Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather, Director of the Holocaust Center. “Viewers literally travel through time and space. It has been an honor to support this project during the years of its development, and we can't wait to bring it to a live audience!” 

Four screenings of the documentary will be held at the Buhl Planetarium on May 18 and May 31. The showings on the 18th will include a VIP reception with takeaway gifts for attendees, a talkback with the filmmakers and the Clarion Quartet, and tickets are $36. The showings on the 31st will include a limited number of free seats for Holocaust survivors and degree-seeking students in the Pittsburgh area with a valid student ID; regular tickets are $15. All tickets include free parking. Registration is required in advance at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/297220122387. The screening event is a collaboration between the filmmakers, The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, Chatham University and Point Park University.

By the Waters of Babylon was created by award-winning filmmakers and Chatham University and Point Park University professors, Kristen Lauth Shaeffer and Andrew Halasz, and was made possible by The Heinz Endowments Small Arts Initiative.  

“The story of these musicians finding hope through their art, in the darkest of times, resonated with us strongly,” Shaeffer and Halasz say. “This theme and the mission of the Clarion Quartet -- to shine a light on oppressed composers’ work -- made this a story that we were compelled to tell.” 

The film has collected several awards, including the #VIFFImmersed Best in Documentary Award at the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 2020 Best of Conference in New Media Award by the University Film and Video Association, and was an Official Selection at the 2020 Doc Edge Film Festival. View the documentary trailer and learn more at www.bythewatersvr.com. 

The Clarion Quartet, colleagues in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, restore to life the music of composers whose works were once banned and give voice to those who have suffered the injustices of suppression and imposed silence. More information is available at the www.clarionquartet.com.   

The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh connects the horrors of the Holocaust and antisemitism with injustices of today. Through education, the Holocaust Center seeks to address these injustices and empower individuals to build a more civil and humane society. More information at www.hcofpgh.org.  

For more information on the event, please contact Christina Sahovey at csahovey@hcpgh.org or 412-939-7289 and to register for the event, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/297220122387.