After fleeing Nazi Austria for Shanghai—one of the few havens for undocumented Jewish refugees—three brothers survive a perilous childhood, only to face a heartbreaking choice at the end of the war.
Trailer
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Events
Events coming soon!
2026
26
February
The name of the event
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6pm EST
123 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA
2026
26
February
The name of the event
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
6pm EST
123 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA
2026
26
February
The name of the event
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
6pm EST
123 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA
Story
When the Gewing family fled Austria in 1938 to escape the Nazis, they found refuge in Shanghai—one of the only havens open to undocumented Jewish refugees. Now in their 90s, brothers Walter, Heinz, and Ehud reflect on a childhood shaped by danger and resilience, recalling moments of joy, loss, and a heartbreaking decision at the end of the war. For the brothers, Shanghai was more than a place to survive—it was where sibling bonds were tested, strengthened, and shaped into an unbreakable connection that lasted a lifetime.
Press
Press releases coming soon!
Variety
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Variety
This is where the Heading goes
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Variety
This is where the Heading goes
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Filmmakers
Nick Andrus – Director
Born and raised in San Francisco, Nick earned his BA in History and Critical Studies from the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts. Nick is a DGA Unit Production Manager who has worked on feature films, commercials, and music videos. His credits include documentaries From Here to There and Memes & Nightmares, which was produced by Lebron James and premiered at Tribeca. He has also worked on dozens of narrative feature films, including Sundance projects The Greasy Strangler, R#J, and Land. His resume includes commercials for national brands and music videos for high profile artists. A lover of documentary film and a lifelong student of the craft of film-making, Nick was inspired by his beloved grandfather and great uncles’ experiences to expand his own creative practice to make Three Brothers in Shanghai.
Jenny Gewing Andrus -Writer/Producer
A librarian and writer, Jenny’s passions include research, oral history and storytelling. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz (BA) and Yale University (MPH). Her picture book Elsa’s Chessboard, based on the life of her grandmother, a chess-playing refugee, was published by award-winning Neal Porter Books in 2025. It was named one of Tablet’s Best Jewish Children’s Books of the Year, and was on the California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CIBA) shortlist for a Golden Poppy Award. Jenny believes in the power of a strong narrative to move audiences, whether in film or literature, and she is grateful for the talented team behind Three Brothers in Shanghai.
Michael Gil – Editor
A film editor and producer based in Los Angeles, Michael has worked on documentary, narrative and experimental films, and frequently returns to themes of memory and identity. It is his ambition to create engaging media that can catalyze positive change and inspire empathy. His work has aired on PBS, screened at festivals globally, and served as educational resources in classrooms and for nonprofits throughout the United States. He is a descendant of Austrian Holocaust survivors on his father’s side, and a large family of Southeast Asian Jews on his mother’s side. He earned his B.A. from Harvard University, where he studied Philosophy and Cognitive Neuroscience. He earned his M.F.A. in Film Production at the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts.
Photos
Contact
We’d love to hear from you!
Do you have questions or comments about our film? Do you have a theater where we could arrange a screening? Send us a message, and we will get back to you soon.