This 1 minute film is a video impression (February 28th, 2009) of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
Transport XX to Auschwitz
On April 19, 1943 at 10 p.m. the 20th train convoy departed the Dossin barracks (Kazerne Dossin) in Mechelen (Belgium) with 40 cattle cars crammed with 1631 Jewish men, women and children for Auschwitz (Poland). The in Belgium captured Jews were over 90% ‘foreigners’ (with no Belgian nationality) who either when war broke out or (many) years earlier had fled from mainly Eastern Europe, Germany and Holland to Belgium. Half an hour after the departure of this transport XX three young Belgians from Brussels, Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau stopped the train between Boortmeerbeek and Haacht, opened one of the cars and liberated 17 prisoners. Later before the train reaches the German border over 200 other prisoners decide to attempt to escape and also jump out of the cars. In total 233 people attempted to escape, and 188 did succeed. Unfortunately also 26 were killed and 89 others recaptured and interned or put on future trains to Auschwitz. This 20th transport arrived at Auschwitz on April 22. Only 153 of those on board survived this death camp. This was the only documented attack on a death train during the Shoah.
More on Transport XX in the 1 hour documentary film ‘Transport XX to Auschwitz’ – a film by Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/
Project “Give them a Face”
The Kazerne Dossin (project “Give them a Face”) digitalised the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files”
The TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels was organised from 27 January to 15 March 2009 by the BELvue Museum in collaboration with the JMDR / Kazerne Dossin. The photographic portraits were displayed outside in the Royal park in Brussels (opposite the Royal Palace).
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (JMDR) in Mechelen (Malines, Belgium) and project “Give them a Face”.
With the ‘Give Them a Face’ project the Kazerne Dossin aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.
Film TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels
This ‘one minute cut’ is a reworking of the film ‘TRANSPORT XX — installation Brussels’ Michel van der Burg – published online April 19, 2009 – https://michelvanderburg.com/2009/04/19/transport-xx-installation-brussels/ .
Transport XX Face to Face – 1 minute film
For this special ‘The One Minute’ edition, the original film of around 3 minutes was edited to a 1-minute cut.
‘Transport XX – Face to Face’ by Michel van der Burg premiered at the ‘Where history starts’ festival by The One Minutes and the Museum of National History (innl) in theater Paradiso , November 28, 2010, Amsterdam, Netherlands. That ‘Where history starts’ series of 1 minute films was also released by theoneminutes foundation in 2010 on DVD (limited edition). That original 2010 1-minute film contained no title nor credits. The title and credits were added in the 2012 edition of the 1-minute film that I made available on DVD and also online (that 2012 edition is republished here in larger format and modified endscreen).
Online the 2010 edition was first shown in a short documentary of the premiere screening via Vimeo (#35784512) 27 January 2012, and the 2012 (DVD) edition with credits was published via Vimeo (#40331755 – vimeo.com/michelvanderburg/txx1minute ) 13 April 2012, and via Youtube at the now dormant iClip channel Apr 19, 2012.
This 2020 edition
Now (January 2020) a 4K edition is published – new online at my main YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/michelvanderburg ) and new also at the today started Instagram account Miracles.Media ( @miracles.media ).
Links
One minute film
https://michelvanderburg.com/2011/12/14/oneminutes-paradiso-transport-xx/
Other film versions
https://michelvanderburg.com/2009/04/19/transport-xx-installation-brussels/
Credits | Summary
Transport XX Face to Face ~ The One Minutes
This 1 minute film is a video impression (February 28th, 2009) of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
Event : TRANSPORT XX installation by the BELvue Museum / JMDR / Kazerne Dossin, February 28, 2009, Brussels, Belgium.
Original film version : ‘TRANSPORT XX — installation Brussels’ – published online April 19, 2009 by Michel van der Burg | https://michelvanderburg.com/2009/04/19/transport-xx-installation-brussels/ .
This 1 minute film ‘Transport XX – Face to Face’ by Michel van der Burg premiered at the ‘Where history starts’ festival by The One Minutes and the Museum of National History (innl) in theater Paradiso , November 28, 2010, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Instagram : @miracles.media @theoneminutes @michelvanderburg @kazernedossin @belvuemuseum @paradisoadam Full info posted at https://michelvanderburg.com/2020/01/10/ Film : Transport XX Face to Face (20200110) Michel van der Burg | miracles.media
