A film on the 1972 Olympic Games massacre of Israeli athletes has received an Oscar nomination for best documentary, while a Welsh film about the romance between a Jewish boy and a Welsh girl is in the running for best foreign film.
The documentary “One Day in September” recreates the bloody 24 hours at the Munich Olympics, when Arab terrorists took 11 members of the Israeli team hostage. Two of the Israelis were killed outright and the remaining nine died in a bungled rescue attempt at the Munich airport.
Included in the 90-minute film is extensive testimony by the only survivor among the eight terrorists.
The driving force behind the film is Swiss-based producer Arthur Cohn, who has won an unprecedented five Oscars, including one for “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.”
The Welsh film “Solomon and Gaenor” is a takeoff on “Romeo and Juliet,” in which Solomon conceals his Jewish identity until forced to reveal the truth. The film’s dialogue is in Welsh, English and Yiddish.
The Oscars will be presented on March 26.
The Israeli Olympic Team at their arrival in Munich in August 1972.
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