Lunch With Hitler was inspired by accounts of the young women who were compelled into service as taste testers for Adolf Hitler during World War Two after rumours circulated that the Allies had plans to poison their leader.
In 1942, 15 young women were selected to taste Hitler's food at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia to confirm that it was safe, after which time members of the SS transported it to the main headquarters for Hitler and his entourage to enjoy.
Filmmaker Christopher Grant Harvey condensed the number of women from 15 to three in an attempt to tighten the scope of the narrative.
Harvey says that the inspiration for the short film came from an online piece based on a German woman, Margot Wölk who, in 2012 and on her 95th birthday, recounted that she'd been one of Hitler's tasters during WWII. The story struck a chord with Harvey and he immediately started work on building a story around the article. It took several years for the film to get off the ground and finally be released, but despite the prolonged development period, the story's poignancy never left his mind.
The film was shot on location at Pretoria Boys High School with the gracious efforts of John Illsley, who helped facilitate a crew running around the halls of the school grounds.
So far, the film has screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival 2023 and Dances With Films in Los Angeles, with hopefully more festivals to be announced soon. It has also been nominated for a SAFTA (South African Film and Television Awards).
You can watch the film as shared on YouTube.
