Hungary

What happens when you grew up in a family that’s been silent about its past andyou suddenly find your roots on the other side of the planet…?

For 2000 years there’s been a flourishing Jewish community in the South Indian city ofCochin. When I started to shoot my film, there were only 7 people left. Among them Icame to discover my ‘Jewish grandmother’, SARAH Cohen. Once the backbone of thecommunity, the 95-year-old matriarch was slowly losing her memory – so the memory ofthe entire community was in danger.

The film follows the efforts of three self-appointed Wardens to carry on this age-oldheritage.

One of them is a Muslim tailor, THAHA (45) who takes over Sarah’s embroidery of Jewishritual cloths and documents the last moments of her life. Another one is BABU (60), thewarden of a crumbling Synagogue – who miraculously renovates his Temple. The thirdone is an Israeli artist, MEYDAD (34) who comes to Cochin to paint the portrayal of hisforefathers on collapsing Jewish buildings.

During the shooting of this documentary, I slowly become another Warden of the Cochinimemory: by juxtaposing my Eastern European identity full of repressions with the mirageof Cochini tolerance. Until I realize that my newly found ‘Indian grandmother’ is alsohiding secrets from me…