LILLY: A Holocaust Survivor Documentary

Survival Was Only the Beginning

Help us complete Lilly, an intimate feature documentary about 98-year-old Holocaust survivor and Order of Australia Medal recipient Lilly Wolf.

Born in Budapest in 1927, Lilly survived Nazi occupation, the Budapest ghetto, forced march, starvation, sexual violence in war, displacement and the murder of family members. After the Holocaust, she rebuilt her life in Australia with strength, humour, elegance and fierce independence.

But Lilly is not only a Holocaust survivor documentary. It is also a film about what comes after survival.

Through Lilly’s testimony, archival footage, family photographs and interviews with those closest to her, the film explores how Holocaust memory is passed from survivors to children, grandchildren and future generations. At the heart of the story is Lilly’s relationship with her grandson Sam, and the responsibility carried by the third generation to protect a history they did not live through.

Lilly has spent more than four decades volunteering with Courage to Care and the Sydney Jewish Museum, sharing her story with young Australians. In 2026, she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her contribution to Holocaust education and remembrance.

Why this film matters now

As living Holocaust survivor testimony becomes increasingly rare, the responsibility to remember is shifting.

Lilly’s generation bore witness. The second generation lived in the shadow of that testimony. Now the third and fourth generations must decide how to carry it forward.

This film honours Lilly’s courage, resilience and optimism, while also making space for truths that have too often been left out of history, particularly women’s experiences of sexual violence, silence and survival in war.

Lilly’s story is rooted in the Jewish Holocaust experience, but its message reaches far beyond one family or one community. It speaks to anyone who understands trauma, displacement, loss, memory and the courage it takes to keep living.

Where we are now?

Primary filming is complete. We have filmed Lilly, her family, key interviews, observational scenes and character material.

We are now in post-production. This includes editing, archive and photo licensing, music, sound, colour, legal clearances, insurance, festival preparation and educational impact materials.

Estimated completion: October 2026.

How your donation will help

Your contribution will directly support:

• Archive and photo licensing

• Editing and post-production

• Music composition

• Sound, colour and final delivery

• Insurance and legal fees

• Festival entries and marketing

• Education and impact materials

Budget

Pre-production and production: $30,000

Post-production: $36,000

Total required: $70,000

Every donation, large or small, helps us complete the film and share Lilly’s story with audiences who need to hear it.

Where the film can make an impact

We are working towards sharing Lilly through film festivals, television and streaming opportunities, Holocaust remembrance events, Jewish museums, schools, universities, education platforms and community screenings in Australia and internationally.

This film is for students learning about World War II and the Holocaust. It is for teachers of history, human rights, religion, women’s studies and social justice. It is for families of survivors whose stories were never told. It is for the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, including 1.5 million children, and for all those persecuted and murdered by the Nazis.

Most of all, it is for the next generation.

Meet the team

Director and Producer: Sarita Gold

Consulting Producer: Judy Menczel

Director of Photography and Cinematographer: Joshua Marks

Editor and Music Composer: Rolmar Baldonado

Additional Editor, Additional Camera and Drone Photography: Agostino Marcello

Additional Camera: Dominic Flanagan

Production Assistant, Additional Camera and Editing Assistant: Joshua Buxton

Photography: Cameron Clegg Photography

Featuring Lilly Wolf, Sam Wolf, Austin Wolf, Jerry Wolf, Ron Wolf, Holly Hammond, Dani Klein, Asher Klein and Lucy Klein.

Expert voices include Dr Kim Slender, Psychologist and Family Therapist, and Professor Avril Alba, Holocaust Historian.

A note from the director

There is a line from Pirkei Avot, Ethics of Our Fathers, that guides this project:

“It is not up to you to finish the task, but you are not free to avoid it.”

This film is our task.

To honour Lilly’s life. To preserve her memory. To listen to what women endured in war. To show how trauma and resilience move through families. And to ask what the next generations must do with the legacy they inherit.

Lilly has spent her life telling the truth. Please help us complete this film and carry her story forward.

Donate today and share this page with your family, friends, colleagues and community.