In the trailer for 'Faces of Auschwitz', Murray Goldfinger – a survivor – exclaims that Marina’s colorized photos remind him of what he saw when he was in Auschwitz-Birkenau: “It would be as if I was there right now looking at those people!" Indeed, Amaral’s project is meant to create an emotional connection with its audience. To Amaral, “black-and-white photos, while very important as historical documents, generate an inevitable distance on an emotional level. On the other hand, after seeing these same faces in color, people pay attention to what I want to say. Perhaps, if the photos were black-and-white, they would not have the slightest interest in stopping for a minute to read the stories. That is why I believe so much in the relevance of 'Faces of Auschwitz'. Each person who sends me a message saying that they felt truly connected with the victims for the first time after seeing their faces in color counts as a victory for the project.”
LEARN MORE:
- Faces of Auschwitz Twitter account
- Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum on the history of prisoners' photos
Józefa Głazowska