At the end of World War II, Nathan Hilu, the son of Syrian Jewish immigrants to New York, received a life-changing assignment from the U.S. Army: to guard the top Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials. This experience fueled a lifetime of artistic inspiration for Nathan, a virtually unknown “outsider artist”, who spent the next 70 years obsessively creating a visual narrative from his memories. But what happens when those memories take on a life of their own?

Nathan-ism explores Nathan’s relationship with his own stories, and the compulsion he has toshare them with a world that doesn’t always listen.

Credits
Director/Editor – Elan Golod
Producers – Melanie Vi Levy, Elan Golod
Executive Producer – Caryn Capotosto
Cinematography – Jason Blevins
Animation – Héloïse Dorsan-Rachet, Hectah Arias
Original Score – Christopher Bowen
Editorial Consultant – Geoff Richman A.C.E
Story Consultant – Harry Vaughn

World Premiere – Hot Docs 2023
Recipient of Jewish Story Partners grant – Fall 2022

Run time: 80 minutes