Tracks: Stumbling Stones Amsterdam to screen at San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

The short documentary Tracks: Stumbling Stones Amsterdam will screen July 25 at the 46th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in San Francisco. The film examines the Stolpersteine memorial stones in Amsterdam and the broader meaning of remembrance in Holocaust commemoration.

Why it matters: - The screening gives U.S. festival audiences another chance to see a documentary about Holocaust remembrance in public space. - The film centers on Stolpersteine, a memorial project that places brass stones outside former homes of Holocaust victims. - The documentary also points to efforts to expand storytelling and community engagement around the memorials.

What happened: - Tracks: Stumbling Stones Amsterdam is scheduled to screen Saturday, July 25, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. at JCCSF: Kanbar Hall, 3200 California Street in San Francisco. - The film is part of the Documentary Shorts program at the 46th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. - The documentary is directed by Maclovia Martel and produced by Michael Potter and Margaret McCarthy of Free Radical Productions. - The festival listing is available here.

The details: - Tracks features interviews with historians, survivors, descendants of victims, and people involved in creating and placing the stones. - The film follows the laying of Stolpersteine memorial stones honoring Holocaust victims in front of former homes along Amsterdam’s central canals. - The Stones are small brass plaques embedded in the ground outside those homes. - More than 125,000 Stolpersteine have been installed in more than 1,860 cities across Europe. - The project is described as the largest decentralized memorial in the world. - The Amsterdam foundation Stichting Stolpersteine says its mission is to keep alive the memory of victims of National Socialism during and around World War II in Amsterdam through participation in the Stolpersteine project created by artist Gunter Demnig. - The foundation's site is here.

Between the lines: - Martel said making the film was an immersive experience and described remembrance as a reminder to contribute to a better world through daily acts of humanity. - The film treats Amsterdam’s canal district as a setting where beauty and tragedy coexist in public memory. - The filmmakers are seeking to help establish a YouTube channel for creators with stories related to Stolpersteine memorial stones. - The team also hopes the film will inspire people to adopt a canal or street to sponsor new Stolpersteine installations.

What's next: - Tracks will continue circulating on the festival circuit, including Jewish and international film festivals listed in the release. - The film’s official selections and awards may help widen its audience beyond the San Francisco screening. - The filmmakers are aiming to build an open platform for sharing Stolpersteine-related stories and video content.

The bottom line: - Tracks uses a small memorial ritual in Amsterdam to make a larger case for remembrance, history and community responsibility.