The Waltz
The Waltz
Following screenings at film festivals internationally, the Fortunoff Archive is proud to release its first animated short, “The Waltz.”
Created by renowned artist and animator Yulia Ruditskaya, the film features a song from the archive’s Songs from Testimonies project.
The film is based on a poem by Aaron Lutsky, the pen name of the Yiddish poet Aaron Zucker (1894-1957), who was born in Lutsk, Ukraine, and immigrated to New York in the early 20th century. Lutsky's poem raises themes of lost youth, lost hopes, lost lives, his nostalgia for the motherland, and the impermanence of life.
The poem was sung in the Lodz Ghetto during World War Two and was recounted by Jean B.(HVT-701) in her testimony for the Fortunoff Archive.
“A Waltz” is included on Volume 2 of Songs from Testimonies, which along with the recently released Volume 3, Shotn/Shadows, is available on Bandcamp and Spotify.
About the Director:
Yulia Ruditskaya is a Brooklyn-based award-winning director, animator, and illustrator. As a multidisciplinary artist, Yulia’s over twenty years of working in animation, design, and film include credits, in short, feature films and documentaries, and television series. Yulia also directed and animated numerous commercials, music videos, and broadcast design pieces. Born and raised in Minsk, Belarus, Yulia moved to New York, continuing her journey as a visual storyteller and filmmaker. Yulia also shares her passion for animation teaching at the Department of Digital Arts at PRATT Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and at the Made in NY Post-Production program.
Crew and Credits:
Yulia Ruditskaya
Director, animator, and art director
A. Lutzky
Poet
D. Zisl Slepovitch
Composer, arranger, music director
Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble:
Sasha Lurje, vocals
Joshua Camp, accordion
Dmitry Ishenko, contrabass
Craig Judelman, violin
D. Zisl Slepovitch, basset horn
Sound recorded in January 2020 at Mighty Toad Recording Studios, Brooklyn, New York
Sound engineer: Craig Dreyer
The Waltz film website https://fortunoff.library.yale.edu/film/avalts/
