Watermarks (2004)

The story of the Hakoah Vienna Jewish womens swim team of the 1930s, their forced separation, and their reunion decades later.

Director:

Yaron Zilberman

Writers:

Ronen Dorfan (associate writer), Yonatan Israel (associate writer)

Stars:

Hanni Lux, Judith Haspel, Anni Lampl

10 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Hanni Lux	...	Herself (as Hanni Deutsch Lux)
Judith Haspel	...	Herself (as Judith Deutsch Haspel)
Anni Lampl	...	Herself
Elisheva Susz	...	Herself (as Elisheva Schmidt Susz)
Trude Hirschler	...	Herself (as Trude Platzek Hirschler)
Greta Stanton	...	Herself (as Greta Wertheimer Stanton)
Nanne Selinger	...	Herself
Ann Marie Pisker	...	Herself (as Ann Marie Pick Pisker)
Boris Eder	...	Himself, cabaret singer
Florian Schäfer	...	Himself, pianist
Rudi Luksch	...	Himself, musician
Gerhard Heger	...	Himself, musician
Fritz von Friedl	...	Dr. Rosenfeld (voice) (as Fritz von Freide)
Sandra Bohle	...	Elisheva (voice)
Stefanie Dvorak	...	Hanni (voice)

Storyline

Watermarks is the story of the champion women swimmers of the legendary Jewish sports club, Hakoah Vienna. Hakoah ("The Strength" in Hebrew) was founded in 1909 in response to the notorious Aryan Paragraph, which forbade Austrian sports clubs from accepting Jewish athletes. Its founders were eager to popularize sport among a community renowned for such great minds as Freud, Mahler and Zweig, but traditionally alien to physical recreation. Hakoah rapidly grew into one of Europe's biggest athletic clubs, while achieving astonishing success in many diverse sports. In the 1930s Hakoah's best-known triumphs came from its women swimmers, who dominated national competitions in Austria. After the Anschluss, in 1938, the Nazis shut down the club, but the swimmers all managed to flee the country before the war broke out, thanks to an escape operation initiated by Hakoah's functionaries. Sixty-five years later, director Yaron Zilberman meets the members of the swimming team in their homes around...

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Plot Keywords:

swimmer | jewish | swimming | sports club | reunion | 

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Taglines:

They were the champion women swimmers of Hakoah Vienna... In 1938 they were thrown out... Now they return!

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Sport

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Kino International

Country:

Israel USA France Austria

Language:

English Hebrew German

Release Date:

10 December 2004 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Hakoah Lischot

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,837, 23 January 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$245,845, 18 September 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinephil, Arte, Cinemax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Bittersweet but loving portrait of Jewish ladies' swim team

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at the Nashville Film Fesitval. This documentary tells the story of a special reunion of six members of the Hakoah Vienna, a girl's swim team that broke athletic records in the 1930s as Hitler came to power.

These ladies all have distinct personalities that come shining through as the story unfolds. There is laughter shared amid sadder memories. One of the swimmers was invited to represent Austria in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games but refused as a statement of her stance against Nazism. As a result, she was never allowed to compete again and had her awards taken away. The director lets the story tell itself as the friends go back in time to their youth, when their faith made them visible targets. While much has changed, some things have not. It is an inspiring, thoughtful story worth telling.