60sec.mentsh

How much of a person fits into sixty seconds? Advertising has known the answer for decades: enough for a face that stays, too little for an argument. On social media, where most images of Jews circulate today, a minute is already a long time.

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The Short Film Series

That is where 60sec.mentsh began. For the JEWLIF series, director Nico Beyer portrays Jews across Europe, in their everyday worlds, one minute at a time, without commentary. No film explains, none lectures. You meet a person, nothing more. Yet with every portrait, the single image, the stereotype, loses a little of its power.

The exhibition presents a selection from the series.

More at jewlif.org and mentsh.eu/60sec/

Perry in London, Filmstill aus der Kurzfilmreihe 60sec.mentsh

Football runs in Perry’s blood; his father was a passionate Tottenham Hotspur fan before him. This intimate portrait shows why the club’s fans proudly call themselves the “Yid Army”.

Philippe in Paris, Filmstill aus der Kurzfilmreihe 60sec.mentsh

With his mix of tango and electronic music, Philippe has made a name for himself worldwide. Lately the sought-after DJ and musician has lost many friends.

Sarah in Düsseldorf, Filmstill aus der Kurzfilmreihe 60sec.mentsh

At the height of tensions between Israel and Iran, Sarah and other Iranian and Jewish students in Düsseldorf join forces to take a stand against terror.

Udi in Berlin, Filmstill aus der Kurzfilmreihe 60sec.mentsh

Udi is a pioneer of Berlin nightlife who has shaped neighbourhoods and turned places into scene hotspots. After his venue was attacked and “being Jewish” suddenly stopped counting as fashionable, the mood turns.

Andreas in Berlin, Filmstill aus der Kurzfilmreihe 60sec.mentsh

The Gleis 17 memorial in Berlin stands for deportations planned in full view of a wealthy neighbourhood. Between memory and the present, Andreas’ anger breaks out: at the silence, at the gaps in Germany’s reckoning with its past, and at a country that still does not seem to listen after the Shoah.

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Vor der Kamera: Sarah Basic im Stadtraum, aus der Folge SARAH (Düsseldorf).

Unterwegs in Amsterdam: Daphna Awadish, aus der Folge DAPHNA.

Begegnung auf der Straße: Mikki Levy-Strasser im Gespräch, aus der Folge MIKKI (Zürich).

Erzählen vor der Kamera: Philippe Cohen Solal im Innenhof, aus der Folge PHILIPPE (Paris).

Porträt im Park: Martin Moszkowicz auf der Bank vor dem Pavillon, aus der Folge MARTIN (München).

Porträt: Julia Kovacs, aus der Folge JULIA.

Fahraufnahme: Kamera auf dem Dach des Geländewagens.

Analog gedreht: Regisseur mit Bolex-Filmkamera.

Voll ausgerüstet: Setfotografie zwischen zwei Takes.

Das Team vor Ort: zwei Filmemacher mit ihren Kameras.

“60 sec mentsh – Eine Kurzfilmreihe stellt jüdische Menschen in Europa vor”. A feature on the idea behind the series and how it is made.

Deutschlandfunk Kultur

deutschlandfunkkultur.de

A conversation about the series and Jewish visibility in Europe, in WDR’s religious affairs programme.

WDR 5, Diesseits von Eden

wdr.de

“Kleine Fenster in jüdische Leben”, cover story “60 Sekunden jüdische Wirklichkeit”, issue 19/2026 of 8 May 2026.

tachles, the Jewish weekly

tachles.ch

Nico Beyer, born in 1964, comes from advertising and music video. He has directed for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Nike and Coca-Cola as well as for the Pet Shop Boys, The Verve and Suzanne Vega, and won Gold and Silver Lions in Cannes. His short film Phantom screened at the Berlinale in 1998. For JEWLIF he directs the series 60sec.mentsh: each episode tells the story of a person who feels they belong to Judaism, in about a minute.

About JEWLIF

Jüdisches Leben in Europa e. V. (JEWLIF) is a civil-society organisation dedicated to strengthening Jewish voices in Europe. The association works by the principle of acting instead of watching, because Jewish life is threatened less by loud hatred than by the indifference of the mainstream. JEWLIF is based in Cologne and is funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag. www.jewlif.org

Zwischen Smartphone und historischer Bolex: Pause am Set.

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The short film series 60sec.mentsh by Jüdisches Leben in Europa e. V. (JEWLIF) portrays people who feel they belong to Judaism in episodes of sixty seconds each, without commentary and without explanation. Director Nico Beyer shot the series in Berlin, London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam, among other places. Lives that form no pattern.

mentsh.eu/60sec

60sec.mentsh

The Short Film Series

Selected for the Exhibition

Tottenham 4 life | PERRY

Third-party video

Make them smile | UDI

Third-party video

One voice, one goal | SARAH

Third-party video

Behind the scenes

The Director

About JEWLIF

Films and Media Coverage

More films from the short film series

60sec.mentsh on YouTube

60 sec mentsh – A short film series introducing Jewish people in Europe

Diesseits von Eden – feature on the series

Kleine Fenster in jüdische Leben

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