Two young men escape a train bound for their deaths, beginning a desperate struggle for survival. Join YIVO for Jan Němec’s landmark film and a discussion with Jonathan Brent, Eva Lustigová, Emily Tamkin, and Michael Feldman. The evening is part of FestivAL100, celebrating the centenary of Czech writer and Holocaust survivor Arnošt Lustig.
TICKETSDiamonds of the Night / dir. Jan Němec / 1964 / Czechoslovakia / 67 min.
In Czech and German with English subtitles.
Adapted from Lustig’s short story Darkness Casts No Shadow, Němec’s feature debut follows two young Jewish fugitives through a forest as they face hunger, exhaustion, and pursuit. Their flight unfolds through memories, dreams, and hallucinations, creating an intense portrait of fear and the determination to live.
One of the defining works of the Czechoslovak New Wave, the film won the Grand Prix at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival in 1964. A version restored by the Czech National Film Archive was presented in Cannes Classics in 2018.
Following the screening, Jonathan Brent, Eva Lustigová, Emily Tamkin, and Michael Feldman will take part in a panel discussion.
The event belongs to FestivAL100, an international celebration of Lustig’s literary and humanist legacy. The New York program also includes Cantata – Dance of the Insane at Bohemian National Hall on November 10.
Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, co-sponsored by the Arnošt Lustig Foundation, with support from Czech Center New York.
