Actor · Director

Claude Lanzmann

1925 – 2018

Who they are

Born: 27 November 1925, Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Died: 5 July 2018
Known for: Shoah, Israel, Why, Tsahal

Claude Lanzmann (1925–2018) was a French filmmaker and journalist who fought in the Resistance as a teenager. He later edited the journal Les Temps Modernes. He is best known for Shoah (1985), a nine-and-a-half-hour Holocaust documentary built on testimony and present-day locations, a landmark of documentary cinema.

Where to start

Shoah (1985)Full guide
His monumental Holocaust documentary, built entirely on testimony and present-day sites, without archival footage; his defining work.
Israel, Why (1973)Log in to add it to the library
His first feature-length documentary, exploring the meaning of Israel and its people's identity.
Tsahal (1994)Log in to add it to the library
A documentary about the Israeli army, continuing his exploration of Jewish history and survival.
Sobibor, October 14, 1943, 4 p.m. (2001)In the library
Centres on the Sobibor uprising, drawing on interview material left over from Shoah.
The Last of the Unjust (2013)Log in to add it to the library
Focuses on Benjamin Murmelstein, the last head of the Theresienstadt Jewish council, using a 1975 interview.

Their films in the library

Awards

2013 Berlin International Film Festival: Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement

The full list · 20

1970Delphine SeyrigLog in to add it to the libraryActor
1973Israel, WhyLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
1985ShoahLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
1988Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus BarbieLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
1994TsahalLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
1999A Visitor from the LivingLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
2001Sobibor, October 14, 1943, 4 p.m.Log in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
2008Lights and ShadowsLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
2010The Karski ReportLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
2011Shoah: The Unseen InterviewsLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
2013The Last of the UnjustLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
2013Claude Lanzmann "On Shoah": A Conversation with Serge ToubianaLog in to add it to the libraryActor as himself
2015Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the ShoahLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2016The ClownLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2017NapalmLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self · Director
2018Shoah: Four SistersLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Interviewer · Director
2018Ziva Postec: The Editor Behind the Film ShoahLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self (archive footage)
2019A Philosopher in the ArenaLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2019We Shall Not Die NowLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self (archive footage)
2025All I Had Was NothingnessLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self (archive footage)

Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.