This is a film screening audience Q+A of the “Zone of Interest” hosted by Amnesty International Unimelb on the University of Melbourne Parkville Campus. Arts West building (Now known as Mahmoud’s Hall), Level 3, Room 353, 6:15-8:15pm. A dark, disturbing, unnerving, yet unflinchingly powerful film about one of the most evil, inhumane and barbaric darkest chapters of human history over the last 100 years, the Jewish Holocaust. But this interpretation of the history is unique and unlike any other prior depiction of the Holocaust. As the director (Jonathan Glazier, who in his 2024 Oscar Awards ceremonial acceptance speech, bravely called out Israel’s hijacking and smearing of the memory of the Jewish Holocaust and extermination of over 6 million jewish people during WW2. To justify the Palestinian Holocaust+occupation), mainly inspired by the idea of Banality of Evil theory developed by German-American historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt, chooses to focus on the holocaust not through the lens of the oppressed jewish people, but instead the lens of the evil Nazi oppressors themselves

Specifically centering around the warped perspective of the German family of Rudolf Hoss, one of the Nazi commanders of one of the Jewish concentration camps in Auschwitz. Where they shamefully and sadistically lived in a home right next to one of the concentration camps. With jewish servants and slave workers treated as sub-human. Where for the whole 2 hours (105 minutes) you see nothing but the family home, the family life and slowly deteroriating relationship dynamics, everything but the concentration camp itself. But you still hear the screams, the smoke, shooting and burning of the jewish people. Which is a horrifying contrast of the ideallyic family life. Which shows the absolute evil barbarity and complicity that normal, brainwashed human beings could live next door to such war crimes being commited. Which puts the viewer in a scary, uncomfortable position of being put into a position. Where they feel like they are watching and they are complicit in this genocide and horror. Which shows that perhaps we are not so much different from the evil perpetratrors than as we may think

When it is framed this way, it is a powerful reminder of the inhumanity and dehumanisation humanity is capable of doing to one another. Making us question all the times we may have been complicit in much dramatically smaller, yet similiar circumstances, yet we may have said or did nothing. Which is so universal that can apply timelessly in so many situations today with countless human rights violations and war crimes being commited. Especially against the interlinked, shared histories and present plight of the Palestinian people in the current, ongoing genocide in Gaza, as well as the West Bank. The silence and complicity of our governments and mainstream media institutions as well as almost all institutions on the genocide . But the silver lining and hope is that it will inspire everyone who watches afterwards to change the situation and their circumstances now. What are we all willing to do challenge the dark powers that allowed this to occur? What would we have done during the Holocaust? We are doing it now.

Come along tonight after the Students Against War September 10 rally, 12pm at South Lawn to demand the Australian Labour Government Sanction Israel. And for universities to cut all weapons ties to Israel. A One State Solution and the Right to Armed Resistance. And particpate in the timeless applications of the message of what this films shows with the original evil mother of all genocides. Out of personal curiosity to learn more about this subject. Or maybe even whatever shared personal, racial and multi-cultural experiences and shared histories of genocide, occupation, oppression, silence, complicity, and resistance. To break the cycle of the history of genocide that happened in the past, and is still occuring today. And engage in important, urgent conversations of critical thinking of how we can challenge our institions in whatever context or workplace we exist in society on how to cut ties to the genocial war crimes, human rights violations and atrocities of today