What does it take to capture the weight of history on screen, especially when you’re recreating one of the most significant trials in modern memory?
The Sony Pictures Classics film Nuremberg made a powerful debut at TIFF this week, earning an unusually long standing ovation. This intense historical drama, directed by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Post), explores the psychological and moral complexities behind the Nuremberg Trials.
Based on the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, the story follows Lt. Colonel Douglas Kelley (played by Rami Malek), a U.S. Army psychiatrist tasked with evaluating Nazi leader Hermann Göring (played by Russell Crowe) before the tribunal. The film wrestles with chilling themes of manipulation, power, and the search for justice in the face of unspeakable evil.
In the Deadline TIFF Studio panel, the team dove into the creative choices that brought this film to life:
• Director James Vanderbilt and DP Dariusz Wolski made the bold decision to keep their prison set walls intact, capturing genuine claustrophobia instead of clean, stylized shots.
• Rami Malek described the script as one he “flew through,” and shared how the source material provided a deep well of insight.
• Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, John Slattery, and Leo Woodall discussed their intense preparation for portraying real historical figures, and how production designer Eve Stewart recreated the trial set with near-perfect accuracy.
You can watch the full conversation here: https://deadline.com/video/nuremberg-james-vanderbilt-rami-malek-michael...
This one is a masterclass in period filmmaking, performance, and adapting history with emotional integrity.
If you were directing a story based on true events, what creative decisions would you make to honor both truth and story?
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If I were to tell a story based on real events, I wouldn’t limit myself to showing the harshness of history. I would also try to reveal the light hidden within the shadows. For me, truth is not just a sequence of facts, it is made of emotions, fragile gestures, silences, and glances that travel through time.
I believe a historical story should hold both cruelty and beauty, because humanity exists in that tension. That mixture is what moves us, wounds us, and heals us. Accuracy matters, but it is poetry and emotional memory that truly give life to the facts. That’s where I would place my voice as a storyteller: in the fragile balance where history becomes both a mirror and a song.
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Hi, @Ashley. If I was directing a story based on true events, I'd try to keep it as close to what actually happened as possible while also making sure the movie is entertaining, which might mean adding things.
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Hi Ashley Renee Smith. If I were directing a story based on true events, my first priority would be to respect the emotional truth of those involved. Facts matter, of course, but so does the heart of the story. I’d focus on capturing the essence of what happened, even if that means compressing timelines or combining characters to make the narrative more cohesive. A great example for me is The Bikeriders by Jeff Nichols. He built the film around real interviews and just Kathy’s letters, yet managed to stay emotionally true to the spirit of the people and the era. That’s the kind of storytelling I admire Ash, where truth and narrative ride side by side :)
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Koby Nguyen beautifully said! There’s a profound difference between recounting history and feeling it—and that emotional undercurrent is where the heart of a story often lives.
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Maurice Vaughan That’s such a thoughtful approach, and one that many of the best writer-directors wrestle with; honoring the truth while still creating a compelling experience for the audience.
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I agree, Sandra Isabel Correia, the emotional truth is often what lingers with an audience far longer than the factual details. The Bikeriders is a fantastic example, Jeff Nichols didn’t just recreate a moment in time, he felt his way through it, using real voices as the foundation while still shaping a cinematic experience. That kind of storytelling lives in the space between history and memory, where the soul of the story takes shape.
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And remains forever inside us, Ashley Renee Smith :))