Filmmaker Beth Lane Celebrates her Family As Holocaust Survivors in the Documentary “UnBroken”

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Interviews

Published on Thursday, 26 June 2025 13:57

Written by Brad Balfour

Beth Lane photo: Chad Batka

In light of all the attention on antisemitism and the Jewish people since the October 7th massacre by Hamas terrorists, there’s been a desire for a story of triumph in the face of bloodshed and slaughter.

So when filmmaker Beth Lane embarked on an international quest to uncover answers about the plight of her mother and her six siblings, she found a story to inspire. As children, they had escaped Nazi Germany by relying on their own youthful bravado and the kindness of German strangers. Their self-rescue resulted in this documentary, “UnBroken” — the story of the seven Weber siblings, ages 6-18, who evaded capture and death following their mother’s incarceration and murder at Auschwitz.

After being hidden in a laundry hut by a benevolent German farmer, the children spent two years on their own in war-torn Germany. Emboldened by their father’s mandate that they “always stay together,” they used their instincts to fight hunger, loneliness, rape, bombings and fear. Separated from their parents, the siblings had to declare themselves orphans in order to escape to a new life in America. This salvation would become what finally tore them apart, not to be reunited for another 40 years.

Daughter of the youngest Weber sibling, Lane set out to retrace the family’s steps, seeking answers to long-held questions about their survival. The film examines the family’s journey as told through conversations with the living siblings — now in their 80s and 90s. Lane and her crew made a road trip across Germany, following the harrowing path taken by her family over 70 years ago.

As her feature debut, this documentary is both a professional milestone and a personal effort to immortalize the Webers’ incredible story of the siblings’ survival. They’re the only family of seven Jewish kids from Nazi Germany known to have lived and emigrated together.

Lane is also an actress, singer and dancer whose driving force has been to display empathy through storytelling, design and meditation. She has curated and served on panels and hosted over 40 episodes of a weekly Instagram live on-camera podcast, “Banter with Beth.” “UnBroken” was named Best Documentary Feature Film in Indianapolis at the 23rd Heartland International Film Festival in 2023. That was just one day after the terrorist organization, Hamas, attacked Israel — the worst assault against Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Q: When you realized you had this rich history, how much investigating did you have to do to put the whole story together?

Beth Lane: I was six years old when I learned that my mother was adopted at the same age she had been when she arrived in America. She didn’t tell me about the Holocaust then, or how her mother died, but she did mention that she had six siblings I would never meet. Like any child told they can’t have something, I wanted it all the more. I didn’t know why I longed to meet those siblings, only that I did. Even then, I had the curiosity of an actress and the daydreaming powers that have never left me.

Years later, that longing found form: my mother reunited with her siblings. One of them, my Uncle Alfons, wrote a 40-page memoir marking the 50th anniversary of their arrival in America — a personal history woven with survival, loss, and love.

Over time, I came to realize that the story of my family wasn’t just poignant — it was extraordinary. My grandmother Lina, whom I never met, was a Jewish resistance fighter in Berlin. She helped others escape Nazi Germany, forging visas and passports in secret. But she couldn’t save herself. She was murdered in Auschwitz on December 1, 1943, at exactly 11:35 in the morning.

Whenever someone asks, “If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would it be?”—I never hesitate. Queen Elizabeth I, perhaps (we share a name). But more truthfully: Lina. My grandmother. A woman I never knew, but whose courage and sacrifice run in my blood. As my Aunt Ruth says in our documentary “UnBroken,” “She believed that if you help others, you help yourself.” That belief— that legacy — is how I know I come from a rich history: the Weber kids in 1946

I began researching in earnest the moment my mom decided she wanted to return to Berlin and Worin for the first time in over 70 years. That was the summer of 2017 — and I haven’t stopped since.

What started as a personal journey quickly turned into something much bigger: unearthing family documents, tracking down distant relatives, translating letters, and digging through archives in multiple countries. Each discovery led to more questions, more layers, and more truths that had been buried for decades.

There’s a book I need to write. A museum exhibit I need to launch. This story isn’t just about the past — it’s about preserving a legacy that still echoes through the present. The research? It never ends.

Q: When did you decide to make a film about it?

Beth Lane: I decided to make a film about it after that life-changing trip to Berlin and Worin with my family. We visited the farm where my mother and her siblings were hidden during the Shoah. Seeing the place where they endured such unimaginable hardships deeply moved me. I made a vow then to tell their story — not only to honor the bravery of the Weber siblings but also to highlight the courage of those who helped them survive.

Q: How did you organize the film and map it?

Beth Lane: Organizing the film was a massive undertaking. We had over 200 hours of footage from three days at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, three weeks in Germany, and three weeks in the United States. We started by dedicating six weeks just to watching every single minute of that footage. From there, we made scene selects and gradually whittled it down to around 20 hours.

It’s a process of constant refinement — you keep shaving it down until the footage starts to tell you what it wants to be. Once we had a story lock, we moved into the next phase: incorporating animation, original music, and graphics to bring emotional depth and narrative clarity to the story. It was a long and deeply immersive process, but it allowed the heart of the story to emerge organically.

Q: At one point you decided to add animation — talk about that decision and the process of doing it.

Beth Lane: The decision to add animation came from a deep desire to have the audience experience these stories through the lens of a child — just as my mother and her siblings had lived them. The sisters are now in their 80s and 90s. And while their memories are vivid, animation allowed us to bridge the gap between their adult reflections and their childhood experiences.

For me, it was the most powerful medium not only to visualize those memories, but also to engage the audience’s imagination. Animation gave us the freedom to express moments that couldn’t be captured through archival footage or reenactments — moments of fear, wonder, confusion, and even resilience — all from a child’s perspective.

Q: There’s lots of travel involved to get this done. Talk about managing it.

Beth Lane: Managing all the travel for the film was definitely a huge undertaking, but I was lucky to have a fantastic line producer who was incredibly organized — especially with Google Maps. We used a 40-page narrative written by my Uncle Alfons. He created it for the 50th anniversary of the Weber siblings’ emigration from Germany to America. That document became our roadmap.

I went through and circled every place, street, and city mentioned. Then my line producer turned all of that into detailed maps and itineraries. It was a real team effort. That level of planning was crucial in helping us retrace the journey and capture the emotional geography of the story.

Q: How did your family react to being filmed?

Beth Lane: They were surprisingly open — each in their own way. My mom, a dancer and performer for years, was the easiest to convince. Aunt Gertrude welcomed it, and Aunt Ruth wouldn’t stop talking. It was marvelous. But these are deeply tender topics, and the emotional weight was real.

Aunt Ruth chose not to see the final cut. Aunt Renee initially declined but ultimately agreed. Her contribution is stunning in brevity, humor, and depth. Aunt Judy abstained from filming but attended a recent screening in Dallas, where she felt deeply seen and heard.

Most cousins were enthusiastic, though a few declined. My kids were skeptical at first, since this was my directorial debut. But later, they admitted that they underestimated me.

Aunt Senta, who was in hospice, couldn’t participate, but she supported the film financially. That support gave me the confidence to tell their story. I used it to found The Weber Family Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to combating antisemitism and hate through the arts.

Q: Were they happy with the results?

Beth Lane: Absolutely. None of us expected the film to win awards, have a nationwide release, or stream on Netflix. When I told my mom that “UnBroken” had ranked #5 in the top 10 U.S. Netflix films within 24 hours after its launch, she nearly fell out of her wheelchair.

Q: Did the film change lives among the subjects or beyond?

Beth Lane: Yes. One cousin converted to Judaism after being raised Catholic. Others who had lost touch reconnected by attending screenings and meeting me. It’s powerful to see the story reconnect our family and remind us all of our shared humanity in a divided world.

Q: What were the profound discoveries that you and your family made that were unexpected?

Beth Lane: Three weeks after I committed to making “UnBroken,” the Charlottesville rally happened. White supremacists marched through a Southern town under the guise of protecting Confederate monuments. But we knew it was really an attempt to spread hate and amplify antisemitism. That was a moment of clarity: our story couldn’t wait. It needed to be told — now.

Fast forward to October 8, 2023: our world premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival. Just 24 hours earlier, news of a devastating terrorist attack broke. Watching such horrific violence — families torn apart, civilians targeted — shattered something in us. What was most painful was the wavering moral clarity surrounding it.

I was in Manhattan when the Towers fell on 9/11. Back then, there was no question about what was evil. Today, that certainty feels like it’s slipping away. That loss of clarity was one of the most painful realizations of this journey. 

There’s a “before and after” for me and our family now. But with that, I’ve gained spiritual clarity. I’m more grounded and prepared for the unexpected. That makes me sad — knowing to expect wrongdoing.

Q: “UnBroken” is a stand against hate in all its forms. It’s a bridge to remind us all to be human and simply to do unto others as you would wish to be done unto you. This isn’t a political or religious film. It’s a spiritual film. A personal story about staying human in a world that too often forgets how.

Beth Lane: Yes. And if there’s one message I want to share, it’s this: Even in the darkest moments, there is still light. Still hope. Still connection. “UnBroken” is my offering to anyone searching for that light.

Q: Now that you’ve made a film that’s part of an important legacy of Holocaust survivors, how do you hope it impacts on the world at large?

Beth Lane: I hope it makes people pause and realize how disconnected we’ve become — relying on texts instead of calls, online likes instead of real conversations. “UnBroken” is a reminder to cherish our neighbors and to practice kindness. Antisemitism isn’t just a Jewish problem; it threatens society as a whole. As a daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I feel a duty to speak out against hate and bigotry — and I hope others feel inspired to do the same.

What sets “UnBroken” apart from other Holocaust or family-history documentaries is that it’s a woman-led story spanning generations, told through a deeply personal and spiritual lens rather than a political or historical one. It blends humor, pain, and healing in unexpected ways. It’s urgent given today’s climate of antisemitism and global unrest.

Q: What’s next for you? Other films, books, etc.?

Beth Lane: I’ve been invited to give keynote addresses, which has been incredibly meaningful. I love connecting with audiences — sharing stories that remind us we are more alike than different. That sense of oneness is the heart of this work. I hope “UnBroken” continues to lead us toward that. I have a book and museum exhibit in development, plus three more films in development that need funding. The Weber Family Arts Foundation is growing, and we’re seeking resources to hire an executive director to increase our impact.

NOTE: To watch “UnBroken,” support the foundation, or to host a screening, visit:
http://www.theweberfamilyartsfoundation.com