Jewish writer confronts Holocaust denial

Jewish Australian screenwriter Naomi Lisner has completed a political thriller that tackles Holocaust denial through a contemporary lens, marking a significant departure from her previous work in drama and comedy.

The screenplay centres on an international conspiracy to murder Holocaust survivors in order to support claims that the Holocaust never happened, reflecting what Lisner describes as the connection between historical and contemporary forms of denial.

“I’ve seen a lot of Holocaust movies, as we all have, but I was thinking about October 7 and all the denials about it, and I thought, did the world change or was hate always brewing?” Lisner explained.

This question became her one sentence description of the plot to the screenplay, titled Bubbling Under the Surface, drawing parallels between those who deny October 7 and those who have always denied the Holocaust.

“I thought, I’m just going to write this screenplay where I can have this thriller around people who are killing off the remaining Holocaust survivors, like October 7, to say that it never actually happened,” she said.

The political thriller represents new territory for Lisner, who has previously written six feature films spanning drama, comedy, romantic comedy and children’s cinema.

The screenplay’s antagonists target nursing homes, synagogues and respite care centres, focusing on elderly Holocaust survivors as part of what Lisner describes as an international ring, though she doesn’t set the action in any particular country.

The completed script has been registered with the Australian Writers Guild and is now entering the international film festival circuit, with results expected next year. Lisner is also exploring opportunities with streaming services and potential Australian funding sources.

However, as a Jewish writer working on explicitly Jewish themes, Lisner acknowledges facing significant challenges in Australia’s current climate.

“I’ve had some pretty hateful things said to me, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that,” she admitted.

The situation became particularly difficult when she challenged the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance about their recent march supporting Palestinian causes.

“I tried to talk to them about it. I said, there’s no signs for the hostages,” she explained. “When I’ve written stuff like that on the site, the response I get is not really pretty. I get bombarded with hate.”

Lisner emphasised her desire for balanced discourse on the conflict.

“I’m just like everybody else who’s trying to put a fair point of view for every side. The bottom line is, they have to get the hostages back. Israel was not at war when they were invaded, and I think somewhere along the line that seems to be lost. I truly believe if it happened in any other country in the world but Israel, it would be a different response.”

Despite the hostile environment for Jewish creatives in Australia, Lisner remains determined to find a market for her work, though she suspects success may come from overseas rather than domestically.

“I’ve written two short films years ago that literally went all over the world, were played everywhere, in I can’t even remember how many countries, but never in Australia,” she noted.

The screenplay attempts to show “the good, the bad and the ugly” while incorporating humour into the thriller format. Notably, one of the characters who helps save the day is Muslim, though Lisner declined to reveal more details to avoid spoilers.

“I just had to write it because, although in the past we’ve seen traditional Holocaust stories, I think we needed to see something contemporary that dealt with what’s happening in the world now.”