FILM  “ANNA’S  TRIP”

Protagonist: Ana Nuta

Sergio Gerardo Weisstaub Nuta

Director: ALAN E. JAIS

This is the story of Ana Nuta's trip to Poland to visit the Shtetls of her family: PLONSK. The place where her parents, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins, were born, lived, and called home. She wanted to visit all the Camps of Extermination where her family were murdered by the nazis in the Shoáh; most of them were killed in Auschwitz I, or Auschwitz II or Birkenau; and a few of them in the Camp of Extermination of Treblinka; Tarnow; Majdanek and Terezin Camp near Prague, Czech (called Terezienstadt in German).

Ana's husband, due to work schedule conflicts, could not accompany her. But her eldest son, Gerardo Weisstaub Nuta, who lived in Santiago de Chile, Chile, said he would go because he knew it would be very hard for her traveling alone.

She began her trip in New Jersey, USA, with her cousin Donald Nathin (her uncle Louis’s son) who invited Ana and Gerardo to stay at their house and meet his wife Myrna. Anna also wanted to meet her cousin Jacob Nuta, the youngest son of her father’s cousin Artek or Adam Nuta. This was especially important because she had not known he was alive. Anna found them all: Artek and Irena Nuta, their sons Vladimir Nuta who lives in Warsaw, and Jacob Nuta who lives in New Jersey . . . like her beloved cousin Donald.

Ana began her search for her family about five or six years ago, in 2000 or 2001. She found and used the Jewish Genealogy Family Finder; the Yizkor Book; she knew Yad Vashem existed and she was there with her father in 1975, but didn’t know about Testimonies…all this and more she began to learn. From her genealogy research…little by little …she began searching for her family…and making a genealogical tree of their families.

She joined many of the JewishGen working groups to further her research: Poland Group; Warszawa Group; Yizkor Book; Latin-America Group; Ukraine Group; and Romania Group. She became  a member of Yad Vashem for their Program 2006, named “Each person with his name”; and became a member of the Foundation Raoul Wallenberg; from the Center Simon Wiesenthal…and others…

Ana started searching for her murdered family in the Shoáh (Holocaust) and tried finding if there were survivors. Gerardo, her son, discovered a person with the same surname 'Nuta.' Not knowing if they were relatives, Anna contacted Artek or Adam Nuta and his son in New Jersey, USA, and his eldest son Vladimir Nuta who lives in Warsaw, Poland. With Artek she spoke in Yiddish, because he knows Polish, Russian, French, and Yiddish; and Anna spoke Yiddish too. With her cousins Jacob and Vladimir she spoke English.

Ana began to feel nostalgic and interested about knowing about her ancestor’s homeland. And, at the same time, the need for paying them a tribute. While reading testimonies and developing her research, she discovered the real relationship existing between them, and which led her to dream about a trip to Poland. And, in New Jersey, in Donald’s house, she met first her cousin Jacob Nuta and his children; in Warsaw she met his brother Vladimir Nuta, who with his wife Svetlana Nuta and their daughter, took Anna and Gerardo to Plonsk.

She dreamed about and wanted go to Plonsk, but Artek had journeyed to Warsaw a few month previously to visit his son, his wife and his granddaughter Naztasia. Because he could not go to Poland with Anna and Gerardo, he told his son Vladimir the itinerary he wanted Ana and Geraldo to see. Artek had surprised her. He arranged the trip itinerary exactly as Anna had dreamed about, but never imaginaging would ever exist.

This is how it came to pass. Her grand nephew Alan Ezequiel Jais had graduated as a Director of Cinema and TV. He works for the TV system in Buenos Aires, Argentina, making TV documentaries. His work received high praise. Hearing about the trip that Anna had mentioned to his father, Néstor, Alan set to work designing a film project. Alan's father, Nestor, is Anna's eldest and beloved nephew. Alan also told his idea to his mother Monica, and his brother and sister too.

While Alan had his plan for the film project, he didn’t explain it to Ana straight away. He had asked Anna if she would give him a copy of her trip pictures, on CD, for a few days. Thinking he wanted to see pictures of her journey, she was happy to share them. After a week's time, Alan called his aunt Anna by phone inviting her to take a coffee together. It was then that he surprised Anna with his proposal to make a documentary film about her trip to Poland. Anna was surprise, but they (she consulted with Gerardo) accepted his kind offer.

Ana didn’t know exactly what type of project Alan was creating, but she had  a great admiration for his work. She knew he would do a outstanding production. One Saturday he came to her house with a cameraman, put up lights, and choose the place where Anna was to sit. He begin filming without any script or rehearsal. He made some general recommendations and nothing more. Alan just asked Anna to begin talking about her trip…and Anna began…

A few days later, Ana's son Gerardo visited Buenos Aires from Chile where he works as a medical doctor and Researcher in Children Nutrition in the Institute of Nutrition and Technology of Food (University of Chile-INTA). Alan also returned to Anna’s home and filmed Gerardo talking about the trip. He filmed about 8 hours more or less. And then time passed . . . . Until one day Alan told Anna about a film named “Anna’s Trip” or “El viaje de Ana,” that was on a DVD with subtitles in english that would be shown at the IV International Jewish Film Festival held Nov. 2006 in Buenos Aires. Ana was first able to see the film when Alan came to her house with the DVD. She saw the film with her family: Ana , Nicolas , Nestor, Mónica, Hernán and Evelyn.

Alan never asked anyone for production ideas:  Which part is the best, which songs are most beautiful,…nothing. From conception, design, production, and editing, the film was based entirely on his professional acumen. And the result was wonderful!

Alan Jais as the Director, and Anna and Gerardo, sent the film to different Jewish Museums  and from Holocaust-Shoáh, like Yad Vashem; the Museum of the Holocaust-Shoáh from Buenos Aires, Argentina; Museum of Family History, and others.

"Anna's Trip" will be presented in the United States, in various state and city venues, during 2008 . . and at the genealogy branch societies in the Negev, Israel, and in Totonto, Canada.

"Anna's Trip" premiered at the IV International Jewish Film Festival in Buenos Aires, Nov. 2006 receiving high accolades. www.ficja.com.ar

. . . and at the International Film and Video Festival in New York in July 2007, where Alan Jais received the award for Best Director, in the documentary-testimonial category. www.nyfilmvideo.com

"Anna's Trip" was exhibited at the International Jewish Film Festival in Santiago de Chile, in Sep. 2007.

. . . at the 5th Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, in Nov. 8 to 13, 2007. www.wjff.pl

. . . at the 19th annual Festival of Cinema in Girona, Spain, 2007.

. . . and at the Cinema Jueu  Festival from Besalú, It was exhibited in Catalán, 15 to 21 October 2007.

. . . and at the Jewish Genealogy Society of  Palm Beach County, Delray Beach, Florida at its annual meeting January 9, 2008.

. . . at the Festival of Askelon, Israel, October 2008.

. . . at the Festival of Gusyaquil and Quito, Ecuador December 27, 2008.

. . . in San Antonio, Texas, USA, 2008. The coordinator was Micheline Rotblut.

. . . at the Bar Association in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2008 where it will be shown annually.

. . . at the Bar Association in Buenos Aires, Oct 2008, Ana Nuta presented a pre-screening conference on the "Holocaust and Discrimination" with David Galante who was an Auschwitz survivor who Ana invited to discuss his life during the Holocaust. He has written a Book about his life titled "One Day More."

Photo below: David Galante at the "Holocaust and Discrimination" conference where he spoke about his life during WWII and in Auschwitz. The conference showed the film Anna's Trip. On the left are his wife, and his daughter Sandra Galante, on the right are Ana a friend.

. . . in the theater of the AMIA, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2008.

Read a review of "El viage de Ana/Anna's Trip" from the Latin American Jewish Studies SUMMER/FALL 2008 edition.

If you would like a copy of "Anna's Trip" film, you can send an email request: A copy will be sent as a gift to all plonsker's or their descendants…. Anna Nuta

Contact information to email a request for a copy:

Email Ana: nutaanaraquel@yahoo.com.ar

The theater marquee, and Director, Alan Jais in front the Festival in New York of the Cinema in New York

Alan Jais with his cousin Jacob Nuta
his daughter Sarah, Tamara and friends,
in New York, before the showing of the film. July 2007