• 5 days ago

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Transcript
00:00I am so honored to be here tonight to tell you a little bit more about my friend, Erica Lopez, who, yes, absolutely.
00:12That's our table, who brought the story of We Were the Lucky Ones to the screen with such sensitivity and emotional depth.
00:22And what makes this show stand out in its depiction of Jewish life during the war is how it goes beyond just the atrocities
00:29of the Holocaust. It doesn't reduce Jewish identity to tragedy or victimhood alone. Instead, it shows the resilience, the faith,
00:39the humor, and the cultural heritage that is part of Jewish survival. It embraces the complexity of Jewish identity so gracefully
00:48as it follows each character, making sure none of their voices go unheard. This nuance and emotion was able to soar
00:57because of the leadership we were fortunate enough to have at the head of the show. Erica is one of those people, whether you've known her
01:06for two minutes or for two years, you feel instantly comfortable around. And having such approachability and talent in a position of power
01:16is such a gift to those of us working around you. Your kindness and your commitment to telling this story so thoughtfully
01:25puts so much more passion into all of our desire to help bring your vision of this show to life. Working for you is one of the greatest
01:36privileges I've had. And you are so incredibly gifted as a creator. You are so incredibly warm as a friend. And those of us who know you
01:46are beyond lucky. I am so pleased to present you with this honor that is so deserved. Let us now play a clip of We Were the Lucky Ones.
01:59It will last you and me a lot longer. No, don't don't do this.
02:05The Jews are joining the fight. The Poles need all the support they can get. It won't matter. No, the Soviets aren't coming. It does not matter.
02:14How can I hide while others fight? How can you ask me to do that? Survival is fighting. It is. It's fighting.
02:27Wielding a gun is not the only way to fight back. Do you remember who said that to me? Do you? If we had thrown ourselves at the Germans,
02:35then we would, we would be dead. My family might be. Who would have paid the Gorskis? Who would have kept Felicia safe in that convent?
02:46How is that? Not fighting? Adam, Adam, Adam, please, please, please, please, please. I want, I want a life with you, my love. I want children.
02:58I want, I want to watch them grow up with you. I, I can't bear to never know our children. Please, please, please, please, please don't.
03:09As I said before, working for Erica is, it has truly been one of the greatest honors to work with someone so special and kind and who you just, you just, you can't help but love everything about her.
03:34She is an extraordinary person, an extraordinary leader, and I'm, I'm so pleased to be here tonight, and please come and accept your award.
03:43I brought paper. I'm sorry. I'm a writer.
04:05Thank you so much, Joey, for those unbelievably kind words. Your tremendous talent is only surpassed by your huge heart. And thank you to Variety and to the Faith and Media Coalition for this incredible honor.
04:25It is really inspiring to be in this room.
04:29When I read Georgia Hunter's extraordinary book, We Were the Lucky Ones, I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime to bring an authentically Jewish family story to the screen.
04:40Georgia's account of her family survival during the Holocaust was not just focused on the horrors that they endured, but also on the lives that they were determined to live.
04:50Like many Jews during this horrific chapter, both those who survived and the many who did not, the Kurz's found ways to love, share pain, make each other laugh, and seek solace and comfort in the rituals of their shared religion.
05:06Within the Kurz family, we meet 12 distinct Jewish characters who have their own unique relationships to culture, faith, and spirituality.
05:16This story allowed 12 Jewish actors to embody those lives and bring their own experiences and history to the screen.
05:24My heartfelt thanks to all of those incredible actors who worked on the series, as well as to Georgia Hunter, the author of the book, Tommy Kail, our talented writers, directors, composers, designers, and crew, and to 20th and Hulu for giving us the support and platform to share this story.
05:42We all felt so fortunate to realize profound moments of Jewish connection, whether meeting this family during the unabashed joy of a pre-war Passover, witnessing an illegal Jewish wedding in a darkened warehouse, or sharing an apple in a quiet Rosh Hashanah service, or in finding the family reunited at last around the Passover table in Brazil after being separated for nine harrowing years.
06:09They are forever altered by what they have endured, but there is a desire to move forward while quietly acknowledging and carrying the pain of the past.
06:19The details of that Passover are uniquely Jewish, but I hope that the humanity feels universal.
06:26Finally, I am lucky to be here tonight with my husband, Dario Konitzia, and brother-in-law, Damir.
06:35Dario and Damir grew up in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and were forced to escape from their home during the civil war in 1992.
06:43They were nine and five years old.
06:46While working on this series, trying to imagine how the Kurtz family wrestled with the choice to leave their home in the face of impending war and rising anti-Semitism, I had the chance to speak with my mother-in-law, Sara.
07:00I asked her how she made an unbelievably courageous decision to escape with her two young sons, leaving behind her husband, Anton, her home, her family, and friends.
07:12She told me simply that her mother told her she needed to go.
07:17I thought about that every day while writing this series.
07:20The pain of the connection I felt between Sara's decision and the decisions of the Kurtz family was in many ways unbearable, but I feel grateful to have had the experience of making this series because it allowed me to learn more about the experiences of those I love and choose as family, a family that's comprised of atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Catholics, Unitarians, and Jews.
07:45I am grateful for any story of hope and love that connects me not only to my Jewish community, but also to the experiences of the people and the world around me.
07:55Thank you so much.

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