The Making of Claude Lanzmann’s Film “Shoah”
Conversation with Corinna Coulmas and Irena Steinfeldt-Levy
They worked as translators from German and Hebrew, researched people and topics, and conducted preliminary interviews, which they recorded on tape: Corinna Coulmas and Irena Steinfeldt-Levy accompanied Claude Lanzmann’s project almost from the very beginning. In conversation with Daniel Wildmann (Jewish Museum Berlin), they provide insights into their intensive collaboration with Claude Lanzmann and the history of the film's creation.
Mon, 9 Feb 2026, 7.30–9 pm
Where
Französische Botschaft in Deutschland
Pariser Platz 5, 10117 Berlin
Corinna Coulmas and Irena Steinfeldt-Levy in conversation. Film still from an interview conducted by Tamar Lewinsky, Curator of Audiovisual Media at the Jewish Museum Berlin, 2025; Jewish Museum Berlin
French director Claude Lanzmann spent 12 years working on his monumental film Shoah, which is still considered groundbreaking in its depiction of the genocide of six million Jews perpetrated by the Nazis. During this time, Lanzmann conducted interviews with survivors, perpetrators, and witnesses, and took his camera to the sites of systematic extermination in search of evidence.
The 152 surviving magnetic audio cassettes have formed the Lanzmann Collection at the Jewish Museum Berlin since 2022 and comprise approximately 220 hours of audio recordings in eight languages. Since 2023, this collection, together with the film Shoah, has been entered in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
This event is part of the conference The Sound of History. Claude Lanzmann’s Preparation for Shoah. The conference is a collaborative project with the French Embassy in Germany and the Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg.
Exhibition Claude Lanzmann: The Recordings: Features & Programs
Exhibition Webpage
Claude Lanzmann: The Recordings: 28 Nov 2025 to 12 Apr 2026
Accompanying Events & Tours
Exhibition opening, public tours, and other events related to the exhibition: find all dates in our calendar
Conference
- The Sound of History. Claude Lanzmann’s Preparation for Shoah: conference from 9 to 10 Feb 2026
- Current page: The Making of von Claude Lanzmann’s Film Shoah: public evening event as part of the conference with Corinna Coulmas and Irena Steinfeldt-Levy, 9 February 2026, 7.30 pm
Offerings for Groups
- Bookable workshop for groups and school classes: by appointment
- Bookable tour for groups and school classes: by appointment
See also
- Claude Lanzmann, Filmmaker and Journalist
- Shoah (1985) by Claude Lanzmann
- The Lanzmann Collection: Projects to catalog, preserver, and share the legacy of the audio cassettes from this holding of the Jewish Museum Berlin
