Schindler’s List and More: The Most Moving Holocaust Films

Jonathan Glazer’s bone-chilling The Zone of Interest premiered at The Cannes Film Festival this year, adapting Martin Amis’s novel by the same name to create an unsettling film set during the ethnic genocide of European Jews during World War II. Known as the Holocaust or the Shoah, this terrible and tragic chapter from the past has nevertheless inspired some great filmmaking. We bring you a set of films that remember and honor victims and survivors from this horrific period in history.

5. Schindler's List (1993)

Steven Spielberg's masterpiece is one of the most iconic Holocaust films of all time. Schindler's List tells the real-life story of businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who employed Jewish workers in his factory to save them from being interned in concentration camps. It’s as powerful as a drama as it is a historical record, committing to public memory some of the stories of what happened during the Holocaust.

4. The Pianist (2002)

Adrien Brody delivers a stunning performance in this hauntingly beautiful film, based on the true story of Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who lived through the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto and the Nazi occupation of Poland. The film captures the brutality and terror of the Holocaust, as well as the human perseverance that allowed Szpilman to survive.

3. Life is Beautiful (1997)

Heartwarming and heartbreaking, Life is Beautiful tells the story of a Jewish man (Roberto Benigni) and his family who are sent to a concentration camp during the Holocaust. The father tries to protect his young son from the horrors of the concentration camp by creating a game out of their experience. Benigni's portrayal anchors this film’s attempt to blend humor and tragedy while showcasing the power of a father's love.

2. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tells the story of a young German boy who befriends a Jewish boy in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. The film shows the innocence of childhood and the naivete of the youth in a time of great cruelty and inhumanity.

1. Sophie's Choice (1982)

Meryl Streep delivers one of the most powerful performances of her career in this heart-wrenching film. Sophie's Choice follows the story of a young writer (Peter MacNicol) who makes the acquaintance of a Polish immigrant named Sophie (Streep), who has survived Auschwitz. The film explores the psychological damage done to survivors of the Holocaust and asks the question of how one can live with the choices they made during that time.