To observe Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January) Blue Apple has created a short video shining a light on the impact of the Nazi Aktion T4 campaign that targeted disabled children and adults. Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 marks 80 years from the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. While the Holocaust is remembered rightly as an act of genocide against Europe’s Jewish population, the Nazis also sent close to 250,000 people with disabilities to their deaths. (Source: Holocaust Memorial Day Trust)

Blue Apple, who are artists in residence at the University of Winchester, have been helped by students and staff at the University.

Theatre members recorded voice overs for the film at the university studios and two third year Film Production students, Hope Lines and Vasili Evangelou, have been editing the documentary.

Download this Easy Read document to explain what the video is about.

Download this Easy Read document to explain what the video is about.

Historical images have been sourced from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the German Federal Archive and site images from Ken Parry. All other images have been provided by performers at Blue Apple and other similar organisations in the UK and Europe.

Shocking images of the concentration camps are contrasted with modern ones demonstrating that many people learning disabilities today live rich and rewarding lives

Richard Conlon, Blue Apple’s Artistic Director, said: “It is important to acknowledge this terrible time from history and to remember but we must also recognise that we have moved on.

“We live in much more enlightened times but we shouldn’t assume that will always be the case and we must remain vigilant.”

The film, simply entitled Blue Apple Holocaust Memorial Project, will be sent out to the group’s network of sister organisations across Europe, including Poland, the Czech Republic and Belgium – nations which were directly affected by the Holocaust.

Richard Conlon added: “Despite being a small, Winchester-based arts charity, we’re actually engaged in a sort of ongoing international debate about the role of people with a learning disability in civic life. Our film includes images from our friends in the Czech Republic who are asking similar questions.

“Our performers and participants know that those who went before them had bigger challenges to face, but the journey isn’t over. We’ve had conversations about how we can’t take all recent advances for granted – they may not stay forever unless we actively advocate for them.”

Hope and Vasili, both 20, said they’d never worked on a project like this before but had found it to be a rewarding experience.

“It’s been really interesting to work for outside clients on such a sensitive topic,” said Hope.

Vasili added: “It’s been great to develop our professionalism. We’ve had to contact and talk to a lot of different people and work to a deadline.”

Rob Ferrin Programme Leader - Film Production, said: “We are incredibly proud of the work done by our Film Production students Vasili and Hope, in partnership with the team from Blue Apple Theatre and all the performers involved in the project. To be able to come together in an expression of creative collaboration and mark the 80th anniversary of the events of the Holocaust is an inspiring and emotive achievement for all involved.”

Download this Easy Read document to explain what the video is about.

Download this Easy Read document to explain what the video is about.

Film credits

Created with the involvement and support of:

Access All Areas

Corali Dance

John Archdeacon

The Boaz Project

Amy Carter

Alice Peck

Anna Ward

The University of Winchester

The Holocaust Memorial Museum

Richard Conlon

Pip Armitage

Anna Brisbane

James Benfield

Katy Francis

Sam Dace

Tom Hatchett

Ros Davies

Ben Tyler

Lawrie Morris

Jitka and Klarka Vrbková

Karla and Martina Trusková

Sylvie and Bartolomé Meredith-Hardy

Harry and Archie Ayling

Archive images sources:

Image of Anna Lehnkering - Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

Image of boys with Down Syndrome - German Federal Archives

Image of children on bench - German Federal Archives

Image of Lawrie Morris on stage by Robinson Road Photography

Music sourced from Pixabay:

leberchmus - ‘Educational Documentary Piano’ / Alex Grohl - ‘The Documentary’

Edit

Edited by Hope Lines and Vasili Evangelou at University of Winchester

#LearningDisability #IntellectualDisability #HolocaustMemorialDay #HMD2025 #LightTheDarkness