Vacation in Sylt

Directed by Andrew Thorndike

Urlaub auf Sylt (Vacation in Sylt) (1957) is an East German documentary directed by Annelie and Andrew Thorndike. The film investigates the past of Heinz Reinefarth, a former SS general involved in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising, who later became the mayor of Westerland on the island of Sylt. Using archival footage and contemporary interviews, the documentary exposes Reinefarth’s wartime crimes and critiques his post-war political career in West Germany. Produced by DEFA, the film serves as a sharp indictment of former Nazi officials holding public office after World War II.