We are excited to announce The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources — new at Journeys in Film!
In The Fast Runner, a young Polish girl comes of age in 1938 during the rise of the Nazi party and subsequently the Holocaust. She is challenged by the compassion shown by her Rabbi toward their oppressors. When the Rabbi’s life is later on the line, she faces a critical test of her beliefs.
“This is not just a film — it’s a call to remember, to feel, and to care. Created with over 200 volunteers, powered entirely by donations, and crafted using 35mm film and period-correct lenses to immerse the viewer in its time, The Fast Runner is a labor of love, remembrance, and compassion.”
– David Bercovici-Artieda
Director, Producer, and Cinematographer, The Fast Runner
What Resources Are Available For This Film
Our new The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources include two distinct teaching tools to make it easy to teach with this film in a wide range of contexts: a Community Discussion Guide and a Learning Guide.
The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources: Community Discussion Guide
In The Fast Runner Community Discussion Guide, you’ll find questions to engage students and foster productive discussions as well as resources for additional learning and expanded learning activities. It are flexible and adaptable to a wide variety of learning environments. It is also an easy-to-use resource for substitute teachers.
The Community Discussion Guide explores these guiding questions:
- How can the Holocaust remind us that oppression and genocide are not a single event, but a long-term process involving political, legal, and social shifts that slowly dehumanize targeted groups?
- How does learning about the Holocaust challenge us to think about our actions, prejudices, and the importance of standing up against injustice?
This Community Discussion Guide also includes: an introduction to the film, an overview of the historical context of the Holocaust, and a Glossary of Useful Terms,
The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources: Learning Guide
The Fast Runner Learning Guide is designed to work in a variety of settings including classroom and higher education use, community education, and solo learning.
The Learning Guide includes driving questions for each section (these are great for project-based learning), discussion questions, useful terms and extension activities. It also includes a printable Timeline of the Holocaust handout.
The Learning Guide features sections on:
- Impact of the Holocaust on Jewish Communities
- Cross-Media to Enhance Understanding of the Holocaust
- Human Rights
- Resistance and Action
- Media Literacy
The guide includes our Group Discussion Facilitation Guidelines, to promote safe, productive conversations around sensitive topics.
Why Teach with The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources
The Fast Runner explores how the Holocaust was not just a historical event, but a deep human tragedy shaped by individual choices, moral complexities, and acts of quiet resistance. It helps viewers connect personally to the tragedy of the Holocaust and the dehumanizing impact of hatred and oppression. The film encourages empathy, reminding us that behind every statistic is a human being with dreams, talents, a story, and the right to live freely with dignity.
Who Should Teach with The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources
These resources are are adaptable for Grades 6-8 and Grades 9-12, as well as college and adult learning communities. They are also great for community education and public screenings, such as after school clubs and film societies.
What Classes can I Teach The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources In
These resources may be useful for classes in Civics, Community Service Learning, English Language Arts, European History, Film Literacy History, Holocaust Education, Language Arts, Law, Media Literacy, Social Studies, World History, and World War II History.
What Themes Do The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources Explore
These resources are great for teaching about Bystanders and Upstanders, Dehumanization and Extremism, Human Rights, Media Literacy, Resistance and Action, and the Role of Propaganda in the Holocaust.
Tell Me More About The Film
At its core, The Fast Runner tells a deeply Jewish story — a story of resilience, identity, and moral struggle in the face of unprecedented persecution. Through the experience of the film’s protagonist Frida, the film explores how the Jewish community, as the Nazis’ primary target for complete extermination, navigated dehumanization and impossible moral choices during the Holocaust.
The Fast Runner illustrates the different stages of the Holocaust. It begins by portraying the richness of pre-war Jewish life in Poland. It then transitions to the period of ghettoization, when Jewish Poles were forcibly segregated, isolated, and confined to precarious conditions. Finally, the film confronts viewers with deportations — the systematic transportation of Jewish people from towns and cities to ghettos, labor camps, and extermination camps. Through Frida’s story, The Fast Runner invites audiences to witness not only the horrors of the Holocaust but also the enduring strength of the human spirit in the face of oppression.
What Ages Is This Film For
The Fast Runner is not rated. We recommend it for ages 13 and up.
Where Can I Get the The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources
Get your free copy of the The Fast Runner Holocaust Education Resources (Community Discussion Guide and Learning Guide) from The Fast Runner film page in the Journeys in Film Resource Library and learn more about teaching with this compelling short film.
Where Can I Watch The Film
Get the latest information on where to watch from The Fast Runner film page.
How Can I Do Professional Development Related to this Film
Learn more about countering Antisemitism in the classroom with films like The Fast Runner in our free, on-demand webinar: Using Media to Foster Critical Thinking and Combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Where Can I Find More Resources for Teaching About the Holocaust
Check out our comprehensive Holocaust Education toolkit at Share My Lesson: Teaching Holocaust Education with Film.
What Other Films Can I Pair This Film With
If you’re teaching about Resistance and Action, we also recommend Crip Camp, Defiant Requiem, Rebel Hearts, Summer of Soul. and The Crisis Scientists.
Get more resources for teaching about Media Literacy with film in our Media Literacy and Journalism Collection.
What if I’m New to Teaching With Film
Check out our Teacher Toolbox to make teaching with film fun, easy and effective.
How Can I Share Feedback
If you are teaching with this film, we would love to hear how it works for you and your students. Please get in touch with us by using our contact form.
