Film of Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller’s incredible wartime story at cinemas nationwide on Tuesday

As the trailer shows, it tells the stranger-than-fiction tale of Knoller’s adventures after his escape from Vienna following the Anschluss.

After making it to wartime Paris, he found employment in the city’s glamorous nightclubs where he eked out a precarious existence.

His life was at risk every day should his identity as Jew have been exposed by the German officers who were his customers.

Eventually Knoller was discovered and interned at Auschwitz.

He survived a death march to Bergen-Belsen, where he was freed when the camp was liberated by Allied forces in May 1945.

Knoller later settled in Britain where he and his wife raised a family. He died in 2022.

Desperate Journey movie poster (Emblem Pictures 2025)[Missing Credit]

Desperate Journey has been praised by critics, and also Holocaust educators welcoming the popular appeal of its story.

The Knoller family told the JC: “Our father dedicated his life to inspiring and educating a wide audience with his story. He wanted a film that could engage people not usually interested in this subject.

“We are so proud of Desperate Journey. It is an inspiring and dramatic love story that beautifully captures the spirit of our father, who we miss deeply.

“January 27 commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day and is also the day our father was laid to rest. We could not think of a better day for this special screening.”

The film’s producer Warren Derosa said: “Freddie Knoller was a truly remarkable man and a testament to the enduring power of love.

“Desperate Journey is a story of courage, and we are honoured to bring it back to cinemas nationwide, exclusively at Odeon, on January 27.”