Big Sonia

20162016
1h 33m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

446

YOUR RATING

National treasure, local celebrity, Holocaust Survivor: Sonia (89) has just been served an eviction notice for the last (and most popular) shop left in a dying suburban mall. Following Sonia on the motivational speaker circuit to schools and prisons, even as she navigates her own struggles. BIG SONIA explores what it means to be a survivor and how trauma is passed down through generations. Will you let your trauma define you? Or will your past make you stronger? Following Sonia on the motivational speaker circuit to schools and prisons even as she navigates her own struggles BIG SONIA explores what it means to be a survivor and how trauma is passed down through generations. Will you let your trauma define you? Or will your past make you stronger?

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1 Video

12 Photos

Documentary

Family

History

In the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty ... Read allIn the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty years. But when she's served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Sonia t... Read allIn the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty years. But when she's served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Sonia to revisit her harrowing past as a refugee and witness to genocide. A poignant story of gen... Read all

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

446

YOUR RATING

Directors
- Todd Soliday
- Leah Warshawski
Writer
- Eric Frith(story)
Stars

Top credits

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See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 7 wins & 3 nominations

Videos1

Trailer 2:01

Big Sonia Theatrical Trailer

Photos12

Leah Warshawski and Sonia Warshawski in Big Sonia (2016)

Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday, and Sonia Warshawski in Big Sonia (2016)

Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday, Regina Kort, and Sonia Warshawski at an event for Big Sonia (2016)

Leah Warshawski and Todd Soliday at an event for Big Sonia (2016)

Morrie Warshawski and Sonia Warshawski at an event for Big Sonia (2016)

Leah Warshawski and Sonia Warshawski at an event for Big Sonia (2016)

Storyline

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Quotes
Sonia Warshawski: Remember: Whenever you are down, look more down, and you'll be on top. - Sonia Warshawski, citing her mother.

User reviews20

Review

Top review

10/10

Poignant, inspiring, and truly relevant, Big Sonia is a must see.

This film is an exceptional educational tool, and is also entertaining, insightful, and heart-warming despite, or because of, the subject matter. The Holocaust, Jewish history, and Sonia's story, are all-too-relevant for world events today. Sonia and her family remind us that we must never forget. A true family affair and labor of love, Big Sonia blends the past with the present, and also gives hope for the future.

I saw Big Sonia at The Quad Cinema in New York, followed by a Q&A with directors Leah Warshawski and Todd Soliday, and with Evi Blaikie, board member of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. It was an honor to meet Sonia herself in person, and she said: "tell your friends to see the movie".

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