An Evening with Sarah Gavron and Sophie Herxheimer - Trafalgar Sq
About this Event
Join us for an evening of history and hope as we welcome filmmaker Sarah Gavron and artist-poet Sophie Herxheimer in celebration of their collaborative graphic novel Ode to Joy. Following Sarah's father in law Ib Katznelson and his family's experience of the Holocaust, this epic graphic novel contains all of life, from its darkest moments to its most surprising joys. Chaired by Bidisha, the pair will also be joined at the event by Ib himself in what is sure to be an unforgettable evening.
Ode to JoyThis is the story of an ordinary little boy, Ib Katznelson, swept up in the cataclysmic tides of fascism, war and propaganda. A generation later, his daughter-in-law, filmmaker Sarah Gavron, inspired by Ib's story, finds artist-poet Sophie Herxheimer to collaborate on telling it in a new, visual form.We follow Ib and his family's attempt to escape Denmark in 1943, and their eventual arrival at Theresienstadt, the 'model' concentration camp. Here the Nazis' horrors were hidden from the world, yet it was also a place where, somehow, art and culture flourished in secret. Satirical cabarets entertained the starving in desolate attics, children made beautiful works of art, huge choirs sang together about death.Inspired by the creativity of the prisoners themselves, Ode to Joy invents a startling and original visual language to tell a story about those who keep hope alive, even in the cruellest of times.
Sophie Herxheimer is an artist and poet. Her work has been shown at The National Portrait Gallery, The Museum of Liverpool and Tate Modern. Her collection Velkom to Inklandt (Short Books, 2017) was a Sunday Times Book of the Year. 60 Lovers to Make and Do (Henningham Family Press, 2019) was a TLS book of the year. INDEX (zimZalla, 2021) comprises 78 collage poems, published as a tarot deck. Ode to Joy is her first graphic novel.Sarah Gavron is a British film director. Winner of a BAFTA and BIFA, among other awards, her films include Brick Lane, Suffragette, Village at the End of the World and Rocks.
Bidisha is a broadcaster, presenter and journalist. She writes for the main UK broadsheets and presents and commentates extensively across the BBC, CNN, Channel 5 and Sky News. Her most recent publication is the essay The Future of Serious Art. She has served as Trustee for the Forward Prizes for Poetry, the PANDA Performing Arts Network and the Booker Prize Foundation. She is also an acclaimed art director and maker of films and stills. Her short film An Impossible Poison was selected for multiple international film festivals and her photographic stills were shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize in 2025 and 2026.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 6.00 to GBP 28.00
