01
Occupied Prague
Muted. Watchful. Closing in.
A 15-minute animated short film
The world can grow dark.
The inner light remains.
Concept art by Yoni Goodman
A Holocaust story told through
fantasy, folklore and Jewish mysticism.
The film
A boy who sees
what others cannot.
Ten-year-old David is a gifted artist in Nazi-occupied Prague. A trail of luminous Hebrew letters leads him to Meir, a mysterious Hasidic painter whose art opens a portal into a world of Jewish wonder.
When David is imprisoned in Terezín, the letters return. So does Meir. Together, they enter an inner realm no oppressor can reach.
Prague · Terezín · The hidden world
Physical escape may be impossible.
Imagination opens
another door.
A first glimpse
Watch.
Visual development animatic01:14
David. Meir. A world beginning to illuminate.
The visual language
Three worlds.
One inner journey.
02
Terezín
Ash. Shadow. Dehumanization.
03
The hidden world
Color. Folklore. Boundless Jewish imagination.
Meir
The guide
into wonder.
He teaches David that imagination is not a retreat from reality. It is a way to remain human inside it.
The spiritual idea
Every soul
is a letter.
Jewish mystical tradition teaches that the souls of Israel correspond to the letters of the Torah—each carrying a distinct place, voice and purpose within a greater whole.
No letter is expendable.
No soul is without meaning.
The children of Terezín
Their art survived.
15,000children were imprisoned at Terezín.
Fewer than 150survived.
4,000+drawings were recovered after the war.
A survivor's message
“I support Hidden Light because it’s about shining your inner light on the world and being proud of who you are.”Dr. Inge AuerbacherChild survivor of Terezín · Author · Chemist
From line to life
Three figures emerge.
Move across each portrait to reveal the finished character.
The filmmakers
Craft.
Context.
Care.
Jacob Fiskus
Writer / Producer
Producer of HBO's One Day in October and A Tree of Life.
Yoni Goodman
Director of Animation
Animation director of Waltz with Bashir and Where Is Anne Frank.
Dr. Jud Newborn
Co-Producer / Historical Consultant
Founding Historian Emeritus of New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Jacob Ribicoff
Sound Designer
Emmy-winning sound designer whose credits include Severance.
Moshe Bonen
Composer
Israeli-born composer and multi-instrumentalist.Beyond the screen
Built to live
in classrooms.
A 15-minute educational bridge into Terezín, Holocaust memory, Jewish spiritual resistance, creativity and identity.
- Middle- and high-school audiences
- Curriculum and guided discussion
- A distinctly Jewish lens
Bring the hidden light into the world
Help complete
the film.
Your support moves Hidden Light from concept art and animatic into finished animation—and into classrooms and communities around the world.
Support Hidden Light↗ Discuss a partnership Hidden Light is fiscally sponsored by Cinema Arts Centre, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.