COMMEMORATING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ, ​
​THE STAN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY
​​ THE TATTOOIST’S SON: JOURNEY TO AUSCHWITZ ​
​PREMIERES JANUARY 28.

January 9 2024 - A moving portrait of love, grief, trauma, history and humanity that follows a son’s quest to understand his family and so himself, watch the trailer for the Stan Original Documentary The Tattooist’s Son: Journey to Auschwitz, premiering January 28, same time as the U.K. and commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day.

Filmed in Melbourne, Slovakia and Poland, this poignant and intimate one-off documentary follows Gary Sokolov, the only son of Gita and Lali Sokolov (one of the real-life tattooists of Auschwitz depicted in the hit Stan Original Series The Tattooist of Auschwitz). Their impossible love story began when they met and fell in love as Slovakian Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz Concentration Camp, where the Nazi regime systematically murdered more than a million Jews. The film charts Gary’s first visit to this most notorious German death camp. 

This is a trip that Lali had always wanted to make before his death in October 2006 and one that Gary dearly wishes he had made with his father while he was still alive. Only now, after seeing the success of the drama series and the book which brought his parents’ story to a global audience, does Gary feel ready to undertake this journey. ​ 

As the world prepares to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Gary embarks on what he describes as the trip “of his lifetime”. ​ ​ 

Co-commissioned with Sky and Hearst Networks EMEA, The Tattooist’s Son: Journey to Auschwitz is being produced by award-winning Synchronicity Films, the production company behind the critically acclaimed Stan Original Series The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and is filmed and directed by award-winning director Stephen Bennett. 

The Tattooist’s Son: Journey to Auschwitz sees Gary enter the camp through the infamous Arbeit Macht Frei gatehouse, where he begins to explore the horrors confronted by his parents. ​ 

Among others in the documentary, Gary meets with Heather Morris, author of the international best-selling novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz; actors Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak who portrayed his parents in the Stan Original Series; as well as Holocaust trauma psychiatrist George Halasz and 100-year-old Holocaust and Auschwitz survivor, Abram Goldberg, in his effort to understand the impact of Intergenerational Holocaust Trauma.

Featuring footage of the real Lali Sokolov, clips from the drama series featuring the actors Jonah Hauer-King (Young Lali) and Anna Próchniak (Young Gita), archive footage, and compelling interviews, the documentary promises to be an emotional journey like no other.

The film was commissioned for Sky HISTORY by Dan Korn, VP of Programming, Hearst Networks EMEA and Hayley Reynolds, Acting Director of Documentaries and Factual at Sky. Kathryn Taylor is the Commissioning Editor for Sky. Additional funding was provided by The National Lottery through Screen Scotland.

The Tattooist’s Son: Journey to Auschwitz marks Synchronicity Films’ first foray into high-end feature documentary. Claire Mundell, Founder and Creative Director of Synchronicity Films, will executive produce and produce The Tattooist's Son: Journey to Auschwitz, which is filmed and directed by award-winning director Stephen Bennett. The production team includes shooting AP Martin Campbell; line producer Priya Bhakta; researcher Irina Glinski and Scott Watkins, production coordinator. Stan Executive Producers are Cailah Scobie and Alicia Brown. ​ 

The Stan Original Documentary The Tattooist’s Son: Journey to Auschwitz will premiere January 28, only on Stan. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is now streaming.

For more information, contact Stan Publicity: stan.publicity@stan.com.au

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