Europa Europa (1990)

Based on the autobiography of Solomon Perel, Marco Hofschneider portrays Perel when he was a Polish Jewish teenager who is separated from his family during the early days of World War II, winds up in a Soviet orphanage, and later finds himself hiding his identity as a Hitler youth. It’s an incredible story that would be hard to believe if Perel weren’t still alive to tell it. Hofschneider’s portrayal goes a long way to presenting the cleverness and adaptability of Perel while the film itself serves as a reminder that those who managed to survive did so only by a combination of luck and sheer determination. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published