The film highlights the remarkable story of Rafael Schächter, a brilliant young Czech conductor who demonstrated moral leadership under brutal circumstances by sustaining hope and courage for his fellow prisoners by creating a prisoner choir and “singing to the Nazis what they dared not say.”  This is a film about how a rare form of courage sparked compelling determination to survive by answering the worst of mankind with the best of mankind.

Defiant Requiem was nominated for two Documentary Emmy Awards in 2014 for best writing and best feature length documentary.  The film is the recipient of numerous awards and has been broadcast on PBS, BBC4, French TV and Globostat in Brazil.