Wesley Schwimmt

Wesley Höllenreiner is 14 years old. And he is Sinto. In the summer of 2024, he will travel to the Auschwitz Memorial. 80 years ago, Wesley’s great-grandfather Hugo Höllenreiner was interned in Auschwitz as a child. He survived with his parents and siblings. An estimated 500,000 Sinti and Roma were murdered by the Nazis. Four thousand three hundred of them in just one night, from August 2 to 3, 1944, in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. As an adult, Hugo Höllenreiner swam against the current in his hometown of Ingolstadt – in the Danube, as well as in his commitment to the rights of Sinti and Roma. Wesley wants to know what his great-grandfather had to experience in Auschwitz and how he can continue his mission.

Director: Adrian Oeser; Cinematography: Toni Müller, Adrian Oeser; Editing: Adrian Oeser; Grading: Stephan Wagner; Music: Max Clouth; Sound Desig:n Jonny; Graphics: Simon Walter; Speaker: Gergana Muskalla; Protagonists: Wesley Höllenreiner, Laura Höllenreiner, Giuliano Höllenreiner, Sheela Josef, Romani Rose