The Auschwitz Memorial, together with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and leading figures from the European film industry, announced at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15 the launch of a 1:1 digital replica of the German concentration and extermination camp available for filmmakers.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Virtual Film Location harnesses 3D-scanning technologies to preserve and protect the site’s historical integrity, while offering filmmakers a revolutionary tool rooted in accuracy and ethical storytelling, according to a statement on the Auschwitz website.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Virtual Film Location is the only original and certified 1:1 digital representation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau I Camp, available under license for audiovisual projects. It is designed to support the telling of the story of the camp, enabling its use in a wide range of films—from documentaries to large-scale Hollywood productions—without compromising the memorial’s historical integrity.
“Due to the solemnity of the site, as well as the preservation regulations, filming on the grounds of the Auschwitz Memorial is restricted to documentary productions,” said Piotr M. A. Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz Museum.
“Yet the demand for feature films about Auschwitz has continued to grow, reflecting the public’s deepening interest in the camp’s tragic history. Such films should play a vital role in raising awareness and deepening emotional engagement with the history of Auschwitz and the Shoah,” he said.
Filmmakers will gain access to a fully certified digital replica, ensuring accurate portrayals of the site. Every element of this space—starting from the Arbeit macht frei gate, fence posts, buildings with every brick or roof tile—is being meticulously documented, revealing perspectives and details invisible to the naked eye.
The data will also be preserved and reprocessed over time as new technologies emerge, safeguarding the site’s memory for future generations.
Auschwitz survivor Ryszard Horowitz, a world-renowned photographer, who was in the Birkenau camp when he was 5 years old, said at a panel at Cannes, “I think this new technology will make it easier to tell stories from Auschwitz, rooted in authenticity.”
Auschwitz Museum spokesman Bartosz Bartyzel said that “the museum will create a film script consultation procedure, where scenarios are reviewed by a team of historians. Script remarks approval is a prerequisite for obtaining a license to use assets from the Virtual Film Location.”
The museum’s involvement ensures that creative interpretations do not compromise accuracy, helping combat denial and distortion at a time when misinformation is on the rise.
The technical team has already completed a 1:1 digital replica of Auschwitz I using the most advanced spatial scanning tools.
The next steps in the project include completing the digital interiors of Auschwitz I and the exteriors and interiors of Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp, and securing the entirety of the memorial site. Anyone who wishes to support the project financially should contact the foundation.
Licensing fees will directly support the memorial, thus supporting its global mission in commemorating all victims, and fighting antisemitism and all forms of hatred.
