Following the various meetings of Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie with Mrs Ether Wise, nonagenarian and Mrs Vivian Parry of the Association for Holocaust Survivors,  in November and December 2022, the Association of French Teachers of Victoria, under the leadership of Lucie Dickens, undertook to record the moving testimony of this survivor of the Holocaust.

Esther Wise meets the Ambassador of France

Esther and Myriam

The story of Esther’s life as a young woman who survived the Holocaust in France during the Second World War is of crucial importance for the memory of survivors and victims of this heartbreaking event. The French teachers in Victoria, aware of the importance of its history, were honored to be able to record – in French – this moving personal experience and to create an asset that will be shared with their Australian pupils.

A documentary film was thus created on the life of Esther and her story . This short film is now an invaluable resource and teaching tool  for many generations of French learners in Victoria. The film premiered on Sunday July 23 in Caulfield in presence of Esther Wise and all her family, Lucie Dickens and other AFTV teachers, and Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie. All eyes were wet with tears at the end of this very beautiful documentary directed by a  20 year old French-Australian director, Antoine Hobbs.

Find Esther’s interview on SBS French here.

Lucie Dickens gives flowers to Esther while Viv Parry is watching

Filmmakers in the background In the foreground, Myriam, Esther, Lucie, Viv and Antoine