Hava Kohav Beller

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hava Kohav Beller is a filmmaker primarily known for two documentary films: The Restless Conscience (1991), and The Burning Wall (2002).

The Restless Conscience examines the Nazi terror and those who fought it from within. It was nine years in the making. In 1992, The Restless Conscience was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature. In 1993, Ms. Beller was decorated by then President of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker with the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit (Das Grosse Bundesverdienstkreuz. It was screened nationally on PBS and has been on television in over twenty countries worldwide.

The Burning Wall depicts the development of the GDR--its founders and those who opposed it, as it emerged from the ashes of World War II. It charts its political and social evolution through various stages, including the uprising of 1956 and the building of the Berlin Wall. Particular attention is paid to the life of Richard Haverman, whose biography threads these episodes together. The film's latter part focuses on the work of the Stasi, with many original interviews with former Stasi discussing their cases and methods, as well as interviews with the subjects of their surveillance.

It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and the Film Forum in New York. It has not been shown on television.

Hava Beller lives in New York City.