The Future Shapes the Past: The Hilsner Case

Can an unsolved murder from 126 years ago still influence global politics today?

In 1899, on the territory of present-day Czech Republic, a young Jewish man named Leopold Hilsner was wrongly accused of murder. The accusation rested on a medieval blood libel - the false claim that Jews killed Christians to use their blood in the production of matzah for Passover. Based on this charge of "ritual murder," Hilsner was convicted twice - and despite thirty years of efforts to overturn the verdict, he remains legally guilty to this day.

The film combines elements of true crime and historical documentary, exploring two questions: who was the actual perpetrator of the murder, and why are Czech politicians so reluctant to rehabilitate Hilsner - especially when these same conspiracy myths are spreading again online and fueling contemporary antisemitism.