About the filmmakers

orestes Matacena & orna rachovitsky

For more than a decade in partnership, we have embarked on making "Thought-provoking Action" movies, which is a perfect combination in our humble opinion.

In addition, the stories have drama, action, humor and intensity, they are daring, they push the envelope and more, and they get the audience fired up with emotion and thought. This important exchange between filmmakers and audience is what stirs our spirits.

 

Thoughts about the movie we want to make

We want SWASTIKA to be a dynamic viewing experience; tears and laughter mixed with heart-pumping action throughout every twist and turn of the story.

SWASTIKA serves as a reminder to show how the Nazi era terror brought men, women and children to the brink of insanity, and death, by attacking their basic human existence. They couldn't function as normal free human beings in society because they were segregated in a ghetto, which was really a prison without food or any means of survival.

Some of their Work

  • The terror was not a new idea or occurrence, and it has taken on other forms in our post-World War II-modern world. But, sadly, this terror did happen in a modern, civilized and accomplished society. The mass systematic termination of human lives occurred during a time when we had airplanes, cars, telephones, music, movies, fashion, medicine, nuclear families enjoying a middle class life and many modern conveniences.

  • Nowadays, information is everywhere in the history books, museums, movies and internet. Yet we still find, while doing our research, that many people don't know what the word "swastika" means or symbolizes. They don't know that the swastika symbol has peaceful origins in Asian culture. Many people never knew that the Nazis hijacked the symbol and made it into their emblem, which, after the world learned about their horrific activities, came to epitomize evil.
  • People prioritize immediate gratification and material possessions and live with what is called "optimistic bias" or a "that-won't-happen-to-me" attitude. Maybe it's a way to protect ourselves in a crazy world, but without taking the time to study the past, our futures are doomed. We recognize that we're all in the same boat trying to survive, but we want to draw people out of their daily lives long enough to present these stories. And, film is an important medium that increases awareness about various issues, encourages us to think about the world we live in, stirs our emotions in our gut and our hearts and impels us take action.

  • We hope that you will become a Backer to help us make a movie that will transport the audience into the past, so they can learn about and see the unfortunate events of World War II that still affect the world today. History does repeat itself and pure evil is quite rampant as it ever was. Atrocities, like the Holocaust, occur all over the world today. So it is imperative to help keep the candle lit through education and make this generation aware that what happened in this period of history not only had devastating consequences on the world, but we will experience them for generations to come. Education, awareness and action can secure a promising future for our generation and generations to come.

  • MAKE HISTORY!
    Participate in the making of this important film!