The Survivor is a 2021 biographical drama film, directed by Barry Levinson, from a screenplay by Justine Juel Gillmer. Ben Foster stars as Harry Haft, a real-life survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he boxed fellow inmates to survive. Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard, John Leguizamo, and Danny DeVito co-star. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021, and was released on HBO on April 27, 2022.
The Survivor | |
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Directed by | Barry Levinson |
Written by | Justine Juel Gillmer |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | George Steel |
Edited by | Douglas Crise |
Music by | Hans Zimmer |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | HBO Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 129 minutes[1] |
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Language | English |
In November 2018, it was announced that Ben Foster had joined the cast of the film, along with Barry Levinson, who was supposed to direct the film from a screenplay by Justine Juel Gillmer, with Matti Leshem, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Sosnoff, Levinson and Scott Pardo producing under their New Mandate, Bron Studios and Creative Wealth Media banners, respectively.[2] In March 2019, Billy Magnussen, Danny DeVito, Vicky Krieps, Peter Sarsgaard, Dar Zuzovsky and John Leguizamo joined the cast of the film.[3] Hans Zimmer composed the film's score.[4] The film was re-titled The Survivor from the working title, Harry Haft.[5] Principal photography began in February 2019.[6]
The Survivor had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021.[7] In October 2021, HBO Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[8] The film debuted on HBO and HBO Max on April 27, 2022.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 66 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site’s critical consensus reads: "Ben Foster's gripping work in the central role further elevates The Survivor's affectingly character-driven approach to its weighty themes."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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2022 |
Hollywood Critics Association Awards | Best Broadcast Network or Cable Live-Action Television Movie | The Survivor | Won | [11] |
Best Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited or Anthology Series | Ben Foster | Nominated | |||
Best Directing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited or Anthology Series | Barry Levinson | Nominated | |||
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Television Movie | Ben Foster, Matti Leshem, Aaron L. Gilbert, Barry Levinson, Jason Sosnoff, and Scott Pardo |
Nominated | [12] | |
Films directed by Barry Levinson | |
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