Reversing Oblivion

In 2012, Ann Michel receives a call from a friend, a Danish journalist, who wants to record a radio documentary on her family history; for Michel the enquiry marks the beginning of a journey of discovery that leads her all the way to Upper Silesia. Previously she had been completely unaware that her German roots were actually German-Jewish, a fact her grandmother had managed to keep secret for years. Camera in hand she heads to Upper Silesia to retrace the paths trodden by her ancestors, inclusive of a now dilapidated manor that once belonged to her family. As well as that of her family, Michel also tells the story of what was a multicultural region prior to the war, later inviting American students of architecture to join her in constructing a new memorial for Dobrodzień/Guttentag. JG