Sara Taksler directed and wrote the PBS documentary “How Saba Kept Singing.” The film combined live-action, animation, and artifacts to create a seamless, historical piece. The motion picture debuted at Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival. On April 18, the film premiered on PBS and Youtube. The production connected to Taksler’s previous experience.
For two decades, she worked in late-night comedy. She had twelve years of experience as a Daily Show senior producer. Her first documentary, ‘Tickling Giants,’ premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. It received numerous accolades. The New York Times described the production as “first-rate.” Variety referred to it as ‘an ebullient ode to freedom.’ Taksler’s second documentary impressed viewers as well.
The poignant film told David Wisnia’s story. He thought he survived Auschwitz because he could sing. When David’s grandson started asking questions, Wisnia realized the story consisted of more events. After traveling to Poland, the two learned about their family’s history. The film talked about the joy of music, even in dark times. To learn more about the film, read the interview with Taksler below.
The Knockturnal: What was your vision behind the documentary?
Sara Taksler: I was intrigued to tell the love story, between a grandparent and grandchild. The idea of learning your family’s history and, in this case, encouraging your grandfather to really know his own story. I wanted to tell a story about the Holocaust, antisemitism, and the destructiveness of hate. But, I wanted to go through a family I know is funny and warm and musical, because it would make these topics more interesting to people who might not otherwise watch a documentary about the Holocaust. I like stories where social justice meets entertainment. I knew the Wisnias would be entertaining to follow, and that would make a hard story more accessible.
The Knockturnal: Can you describe the film’s production process?
Sara Taksler: I met the Wisnia family when I was 3 and knew them throughout my life. Five years ago, I saw David and Avi perform. I started to learn more about David’s story and that night I asked Avi if they’d considered making a movie. We filmed the family starting in 2019. We would have filmed more, but a month after we went to Poland in 2020, the world shut down.
The Knockturnal: The film combined photographs, artifacts, live-action, and drawings. Why did you choose to combine these mediums?
Sara Taksler: My favorite documentaries are verite, where you get to watch the story unfold. A good portion of this story obviously takes place in the past, but we wanted to figure out a way to make the audience feel like they were in the moment. These tools helped us do that. We used the animation whenever there was an act of defiance, be it trying to escape or something less obviously defiant – like seeking human connection or music in a place of so much death.
The Knockturnal: How did Hillary and Chelsea Clinton become executive producers?
Sara Taksler: Last year, I produced a show called “Gutsy” on AppleTV+, hosted by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. I hit it off with the people who run HiddenLight, their production company, and they asked what else I had in the pipeline. I sent them a rough cut of “How Saba Kept Singing” and, very fortunately, they wanted to get involved.
The Knockturnal: What do you hope viewers will get from your film?
Sara Taksler: I hope people will be encouraged to speak out in times of injustice. It’s so easy (and logical!) to feel overwhelmed right now. I’m not looking to convince people who disagree with me, but for those who agree, I hope “How Saba Kept Singing” plays a role in helping them to use their voice – be it for anti-semitism, LGBT rights, Black or Asian hate, reproductive rights, or the many other people under attack right now.
The Knockturnal: Do you have any upcoming films that you would like to speak about?
Sara Taksler: I’m developing two projects about reproductive rights. One is a documentary and one is scripted. Both use comedy to approach a hard subject. I’m also working with a very talented comedian to develop a film about her Odd Couple relationship with her very conservative mom, as they deal with living together, and suffering through Covid, during the early days of the pandemic. I’m hoping someone will want to fund these projects and make them real!
