A teddy bear. A child. A war. With that spare opening, Remember My Name introduces Mo, a bear torn from the child he has just begun to love and swept into the flight from Nazi-occupied Denmark to Sweden. Told entirely through Mo's eyes and without a single spoken word, the animated short approaches one of the darkest chapters in European history with gentleness and gravity at once. It is directed by Sascha Kempinski and Kirsten Skytte and produced by Oscar®-nominated producer Rebecca Pruzan of M&M Productions in Copenhagen.
The film grew from Kempinski's family history and her graphic novel The Escape to Sweden, illustrated by her mother, Jeanne Kempinski. Pruzan was drawn to the book's bold, distinctly Scandinavian visual language and to the idea of telling this history through a toy's perspective. For a producer who spent years as a Commissioning Editor in children's programming at DR, the project became a way to carry the Holocaust to younger generations at a moment when, as she puts it, antisemitism and intolerance are once again on the rise. The team likes to joke that Mo has three mothers. The film shows why that partnership mattered.
Key Takeaways
- Remember My Name is a silent animated short that relies entirely on visual storytelling and Henrik Goldschmidt's music to carry its emotional weight.
- The film's three-woman creative core of Kempinski, Skytte, and Pruzan pairs a deeply personal family story with decades of animation and children's storytelling experience.
- Beyond its festival run and Oscar campaign, the team aims to bring the film to schools, museums, and educational institutions.
Pruzan spoke with us about balancing historical truth with a child's perspective, the collaboration behind Mo, and where the film goes next.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
I was drawn to Sascha Kempinski's family story and graphic novel because it carries a message that is both deeply personal and universal. I was captivated by the graphic novel's bold, artistic and distinctly Scandinavian visual language, created by Sascha's mother, Jeanne Kempinski, and by the idea of telling this chapter of history through the eyes of a little teddy bear.
Beyond its historical context, I see the film as a universal story about displacement, separation, family and love. It is also about the beauty of our shared humanity when we choose to help our neighbours, regardless of religion, skin colour or cultural background.
I believe we need new ways of sharing Holocaust stories with younger generations. At a time when antisemitism and intolerance are once again on the rise, it feels more important than ever to remind ourselves of what happened, and of the importance of looking after one another. For me, it is ultimately a story about compassion and the simple but profound idea that humanity must come before differences.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process?
I was surprised by how much emotion could be conveyed without a single spoken word. The combination of animation, visual storytelling and music creates an emotional language that can reach audiences across generations and cultures.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
The hardest part was finding the right balance between historical truth and the emotional simplicity of a story told from a child's perspective. We wanted to remain faithful to the family's history while making the film accessible to children without losing the gravity of what happened. Making the teddy, Mo, feel alive was also a bit tricky.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
For me, it is the way we have brought three different strengths together: Sascha's deeply personal story and strong visual vision, Kirsten Skytte's exceptional animation skills and creative ingenuity, and my own experience as a producer, developing the story from the moment I discovered the book through to the film's distribution. Having worked for many years with storytelling for children at DR, I was particularly committed to making this difficult history accessible to younger audiences without losing its emotional depth.
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
The most important resource was the collaboration among the three of us. Sascha brought her family's history and the original visual universe, Kirsten brought her extensive animation experience and technical creativity, and I brought my producing experience and an understanding of how to communicate complex stories to children. It was the combination of these perspectives that made the film possible. The music by Henrik Goldschmidt also became a vital storytelling element in this dialogue-free film.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts London?
We are delighted that Remember My Name has been selected for HollyShorts London. It is wonderful to see this very Danish family story travel internationally and connect with audiences through its universal themes of courage, compassion and solidarity.
Where do you see this film going next?
We are currently pursuing our Oscar campaign while continuing the film's international festival journey.
Beyond the awards, our ambition is to bring Remember My Name to schools, museums and educational institutions, where it can introduce younger generations to this important history and open up conversations about war, displacement and separation, as well as about kindness, compassion and the importance of treating others with humanity, regardless of our differences.
I hope audiences are reminded that history is shaped not only by political leaders, but also by ordinary people making extraordinary choices. And that even in the darkest times, compassion can travel surprisingly far.
Main Cast & Crew
- Sascha Kempinski, Director: Danish writer, journalist, psychotherapist and intimacy coordinator. Remember My Name is her directorial debut, inspired by her family history and her graphic novel The Escape to Sweden (2023).
- Kirsten Skytte, Director & Writer: Danish film director and creative producer who began her career as a traditional animator on Valhalla (1987) and has since directed, animated and produced numerous films, including the animated feature Captain Bimse and the short The Little Crab Who Was Afraid of Water.
- Rebecca Pruzan, Producer: Oscar®-nominated Danish film producer with M&M Productions in Copenhagen and former Commissioning Editor for DR Ramasjang and DR Ultra. Her credits include the Academy Award-nominated Ivalu (2022), Lovesick (2024) and SNIPPED (2025).
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