What They Found
| What They Found | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Documentary film |
| Directed by | Sam Mendes |
| Composer | Hybrid |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
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| Editor | Andy Worboys |
| Running time | 36 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 7 April 2025 |
What They Found is a 2025 television documentary film directed by Sam Mendes in his documentary directorial debut. It features footage and first-hand accounts of the 1945 liberation of Bergen-Belsen. It was aired on BBC Two on 7 April 2025.
Premise
[edit]In April 1945, Sergeants Mike Lewis and Bill Lawrie of the Army Film and Photographic Unit accompanied the 11th Armoured Division during the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The film features their footage and personal record of the events.[1]
Production
[edit]During the COVID-19 pandemic, director Sam Mendes was approached by producer Simon Chinn to direct a documentary about the Army Film and Photographic Unit. In addition to the footage shot by Sergeants Mike Lewis and Bill Lawrie at Bergen-Belsen, the film utilizes interviews conducted by Kay Gladstone, former director of the Imperial War Museum, with the men of the unit in the 1980s.[2] The film was officially announced on 12 February 2025, with Mendes directing for BBC Two.[3]
Release
[edit]A trailer was released on 1 April 2025.[4] The film was aired on BBC Two on 7 April 2025.[5]
Reception
[edit]Jack Seale of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars, calling the footage "profoundly disturbing" and noting that it "could alter your whole world view".[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Battersby, Kate (7 April 2025). ""The hell I saw will never leave me" – The cameraman who exposed Bergen-Belsen's true horrors". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ Mendes, Sam (6 April 2025). "Sam Mendes: the Holocaust, my family and the film I had to make". The Times. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (12 February 2025). "Sam Mendes Directing His First Documentary: 'What They Found' Will Tell The Story Of The Liberation Of Concentration Camp Bergen-Belsen". Deadline. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (1 April 2025). "Sam Mendes' Debut Documentary 'What They Found' Unveils Trailer Ahead Of BBC Launch". Deadline. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Hibbs, James (27 March 2025). "Sam Mendes documentary What They Found on liberation of Bergen-Belsen confirms release date". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Seale, Jack (7 April 2025). "What They Found review – Sam Mendes's debut documentary has the power to change viewers for ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
External links
[edit]
- 2020s British films
- 2020s English-language films
- 2025 films
- 2025 short documentary films
- 2025 television films
- BBC television documentaries about history during the 20th Century
- Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
- British documentary television films
- British short documentary films
- Documentary films about the Holocaust
- Documentary films about war photographers
- English-language short documentary films
- Films directed by Sam Mendes