Monument to Love

In spring 1943, the Bulgarian government was determined to exile its  Jewish population. On May 24th, a national holiday in celebration of Bulgarian enlightenment and culture, a desperate Jewish demonstration broke out in the capital of Sofia, in resistance to this heinous plan by the government. The events of that day completely upended the “Final Solution” in Bulgaria.

In my new film “Our Story,” I document a personal, 35 year quest to bring to light the full truth of what the Jewish people in the Balkans experienced during the Holocaust.  Join me and my mother on this journey to track people, visit places, research untold stories that defied common perceptions, and tell the real story of the Jewish struggle to resist and survive the final solution.  As the journey progresses, it exposes intergenerational and multigenerational issues with respect to trauma, memory and forgetfulness, and surfaces questions about ethical and aesthetical dilemmas involved in reconstructing the past.

FILMING for “Our Story” IS COMPLETE.  The film was awarded a matching $ 45,000 grant for completion of post production from  the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The film is scheduled premier in late 2022, in time for the 80th commemoration of the events from 1943.  

I need your help to raise $45,000 by the end of 2021 to complete my life's work. 

To secure this matching grant, and complete my life’s work,  I need your support. With your tax deductible donation, you will receive the following benefits:
2 tickets to the American premier of  “Our Story”
Invitation to the film screening at prominent international film festivals

Film Credit at the following benefit levels:
$10,000: Executive Producer, opening credits, single card 
$5,000-$9,000: Co-Producer, opening credits, shared card
$1,000-$4,999: Associate Producer, end credits, single card 
$100-$999: Special Thanks: end credit scroll. 

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Jacky Comforty

Project website  and TRAILER 


About the Filmmaker:
I am an award-winning director-producer specializing in historical, reflective documentaries, and particularly on the Holocaust and its multigenerational, social-emotional effects. My films have been screened around the world in festivals and theaters, and they have also been commissioned for important museums. My previous documentary about the Bulgarian Jews, The Optimists  won the Jewish Experience Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival 2000, the Peace Prize at the Berlin Film Festival 2001,  and the USA CINE Golden Eagle 2001 award. The New York Times called The Optimists “A rare documentary . . . , compact and elegant.” The Boston Globe labeled it “potent and gripping,” while TV Guide called it an “uplifting documentary . . . [and a] fascinating story.” The Chicago Tribune wrote, “Individuals triumph over odds in inspiring ʻOptimists.’” 

My recent book with Martha Aladjem Bloomfield on the subject, The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and the Holocaust , was endorsed by noted historians and scholars from five countries and is based on my vast collection of oral histories, photographs, and documents that have been my life’s work and provides the foundation for my new film.

For many years this story remained obscure, denied, and mis-represented for political gain. My new film restores and reclaims the Jewish narrative and memory for this and all future generations. 
 
Multi-lingual film versions on Vimeo

Amazon Prime Videos   

The Learning Project  

IMDB