The Mascot

Extraordinary story of Alex Kurzems, a Russian Jew who, during WWII, at the age of five, escaped from his village the night before the rest of the inhabitants, including his mother, were shot by the Nazis. He roamed alone for two months until he was found by enemy Latvian soldiers, who, unaware of his Jewish identity, gave him a new name and made him their mascot. Eventually he was adopted by a wealthy Latvian family and appeared in propaganda films promoting the Aryan way of life. After the war he migrated with his family to Australia. For fifty years he lived a quiet suburban life in Melbourne, without revealing the secret of his childhood even to his wife and children. In 1996 a series of events lead him to decide to disclose his past. He returned to eastern Europe with his filmmaker son on a quest to discover his true identity. His revelations had a mixed reception, raising confronting issues for his family, his community and himself. Teachers notes available at: http://www.filmaust.com.au/programs