Atlantan tells uncle’s Holocaust story
David R. Cohen is the former Associate Editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times. He is originally from Marietta, GA and studied Journalism at the University of Tennessee.
Atlanta resident J.D. Moor was so impressed by a family member’s experiences during World War II that he wrote a screenplay.
Titled simply “The Film,” the script centers on the journeys of his uncle Ulli Pickardt through Europe from 1933 to 1947.
Moor is shopping the screenplay, which he completed in June, to national and international producers.
“This is my first script, and it’s based on a remarkably true story,” he said. “It’s the story of how members of my family were thrown into a series of life-or-death situations and close calls. I think it’s a compelling drama with a heartwarming touch.”
His inspiration, Pickardt, is approaching 97 years old and lives in Paris with his wife and son. In 1933, he was forced to separate from his family after a court case involving his father in Germany revealed secrets of the Nazi master plan. A film of the trial sparked a decade-long pursuit of Pickardt’s family across Europe and North Africa.
Moor wants the world to see Pickardt’s story on the big screen.
“I’m at the stage now where I’d love to have this work produced,” Moor said. “But I’m finding out the hard way that the best way to get a script produced is to have an agent. These literary agents specialize in representing screenwriters and screenplays. But it’s a Catch-22: Most good agents these days like their clients to have a track record, but it’s almost impossible to have a track record without an agent.”
Martin Kelley, whose film credits include “Immigration Tango” (Roadside Attractions) and “Step Off” (Lionsgate), co-wrote the script with Moor, who lives in Inman Park.
The script can be read on Moor’s LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/pub/jon-david-moor/7/a55/778.
“This project has been a labor of love for me,” he said, “and I did it as a tribute to my family.”
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