|
|
Article: Priest receives Oscar.(Chris Donohue, S.J.; Academy Award for short film "Visas and Virtue")(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- April 3, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
After receiving the Oscar for best live action short film, Jesuit Fr. Chris Donahue said he and his partners felt "truly honored," but the true honor goes to the hero of his film and "to other people who stand up for their beliefs."
Donahue produced the winning "Visas and Virtue," a 26-minute, black-and-white film about a Japanese diplomat -- the late Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara -- who saved East European Jews during the Holocaust.
In 1940, after the Nazi invasion of Poland, Sugihara, who was Japanese consul general in Lithuania, defied his government's orders and issued more than 1,500 transit visas to fleeing Jews. His actions enabled between 2,000 and ...