Animated film 'Charlotte' tells the true story of a young Jewish artist killed in the Holocaust

"Charlotte" is available to stream through the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival website through Feb. 27. (Courtesy of: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival)

Decades before Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi and “March” by Congressman John Lewis, the first graphic novel was created in 1943 by a young German artist named Charlotte Salomon. Salomon had produced a stunningly prolific collection of biographical paintings by the time she was killed at Auschwitz at 26, along with her unborn child. Her tragic life is the subject of an animated film, screening online now as part of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Julia Rosenberg is the producer of “Charlotte,” the animated documentary capturing the story of these paintings, and also directed the all-star cast of voices in the film. She joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes via Zoom to talk about the brilliant unsung artist who inspired her.

Interview highlights:

An artistic luminary demanding discovery: