05 novembre 2026
How do you introduce children to one of the darkest chapters in human history? With Remember My Name, two Danish filmmakers bring a family's memories to life through the eyes of a teddy bear. Jenna Suru spoke with the film's creators for La Radio du Cinéma.
A little teddy bear named Mo, a Jewish family in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, and a heartbreaking separation caused by war. This is the starting point of Remember My Name, a 15-minute animated short film told entirely without dialogue. Now making its way through international film festivals, the film has qualified for consideration for the 2027 Academy Awards.
For La Radio du Cinéma, our journalist Jenna Suru sat down with Sascha Kempinski, the film's co-director, and Rebecca Pruzan, its producer, who previously earned an Academy Award nomination for Ivalu.
A Family Story Long Hidden in Silence
Behind this animated film lies a deeply personal true story: that of Sascha Kempinski's grandparents, who were forced to flee Denmark during World War II.
During the interview, Kempinski reflects on the memories passed down through generations and shares a particularly moving revelation: how a family member, whose own life was directly shaped by those events, reacted upon seeing the finished film.
It is a powerful moment that reveals the deeper meaning behind a project born from a promise to keep a family's history alive.
Why Tell the Story Through a Teddy Bear?
Rebecca Pruzan explains how she first discovered this remarkable family story and what inspired her to bring it to the screen. Together, the two guests take listeners behind the scenes of the production, discussing their collaboration with co-director Kirsten Skytte and the artistic choices that give the film its distinctive visual identity.
Why explore the horrors of war through the eyes of a child's toy? How can filmmakers address such difficult history without overwhelming younger audiences, while still moving adults? And why create a film without a single spoken word, allowing music to become such an essential part of the storytelling?
These are just some of the questions the filmmakers explore in a candid and heartfelt conversation.
A moving and insightful interview about animation, family memory, and the extraordinary power of cinema to express what words sometimes cannot.
Listen to Jenna Suru's interview with Sascha Kempinski and Rebecca Pruzan on La Radio du Cinéma, and discover the remarkable true story behind Remember My Name.
