Paint as
TESTIMONY
David Kassan captures the inspiring stories of those who must not be forgotten—rendered in works that defy both time and silence.
The Documentary Film
Facing Survival is a feature-length documentary that follows painter David Kassan as he creates life-sized paintings of Holocaust survivors while recording their stories in their own words. The film captures the intersection of art and testimony—how the act of painting becomes a form of listening, empathy, and remembrance.
Shot over several years in studios and homes across the United States, the documentary offers an intimate look at the survivors’ courage and at Kassan’s creative process as he seeks to honor their humanity. Each encounter is a collaboration between artist and subject, a shared commitment to preserve living memory before it fades from first-hand experience.
The film expands on the acclaimed Facing Survival exhibition, which debuted at the USC Fisher Museum of Art in partnership with Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation, pairing Kassan’s paintings with the survivors’ filmed testimonies. Together, the art and the film weave a single story—of resilience, love, and the responsibility of remembering.
Art as
WITNESS
The purposes of the project are manifold. It aims to document firsthand the stories of the ever-shrinking number of survivors of the Holocaust, or Shoah. By exploring the entire lives of these survivors, from before World War II to the present day, it tells stories of perseverance and of life in America from the postwar period to the 21st century. “The whole idea is really to think about putting a personal face on the Holocaust, because people have become so indifferent,” Kassan says. “It’s an abstract idea, because people no longer come into contact with survivors.” The project is also an opportunity for the artist to better appreciate an aspect of his own family’s history. In 1923, when he was about 3 years old, Kassan’s grandfather escaped ethnic cleansing on the border of Ukraine and Romania.
Our Filmmaking Team
Jeffrey Schneider
Director
Jeffrey Schneider is a Los Angeles based filmmaker with over 15 years of experience as a director of photography and director for documentaries, television shows, commercials, and films. Jeff has collaborated with Vogue, V Magazine, Bon Appétit, Showtime, ESPN, and has appeared in festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, South by Southwest, Berlin, and SIFF. Jeffrey has a BA in Film and Digital Media from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and studied Documentary Filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. He believes in the power of visual storytelling to make a social and personal impact.
Micah Levin
Editor
Micah Levin is an award-winning producer / video editor with over 15 years experience crafting commercials, films, music videos and branded content. He is a passionate storyteller, visual artist, and post production magician. His films have premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, and most recently his short film “Dear Ani” at Hot Docs Film Festival. Other major credits include: Amazon unscripted series “Skrrt with Offset”, ABC documentary series “The ‘S’ Word”, Vice series “RapNerd”, feature documentary “Terry Kath Experience”, Foster the People’s music video “Pick U Up”, and the official music video for the film “Get Out”. Micah is a graduate of Emerson College ‘08 with a degree in Post-Production.
Help Us Finish the Film
The stories in Facing Survival are urgent. The survivors we’ve had the honor to paint and film are among the last living witnesses of the Holocaust—and their voices must be preserved now, while they can still speak for themselves.
Your support will directly fund the final stages of post-production: editing, sound design, music composition, and outreach. Every contribution, large or small, brings us closer to completing this film and ensuring it reaches classrooms, museums, and audiences worldwide.
By donating, you help transform these portraits and testimonies into a lasting educational legacy—one that stands against forgetting and celebrates the strength of the human spirit.
Portrait of Martin Greenfield, oil on panel, life-sized
We welcome inquiries about the Facing Survival exhibition and documentary film, as well as opportunities for screenings, educational partnerships, and press coverage.
If you’d like to host the exhibition, support the completion of the film, or learn more about upcoming events, we’d love to hear from you.
To stay informed about exhibition openings, film updates, and ways to get involved, join our mailing list or follow @facingsurvival on social media.
Together, we can help ensure these stories live on.