Synopsis
In 1899, Leopold Hilsner, a Jewish resident of the small town of Polná (modern-day Czech Republic), was accused of ritually murdering 19-year-old Anežka Hrůzová, reviving the medieval blood libel, which claimed Jews use Christian blood in their festive bread. The Hilsner Affair, as it became known in the press, stirred antisemitism in Central Europe, caused riots, and divided Czech society while creating politicians’ careers.
125 year later, the case remains unresolved. The guilty verdict still stands on the legal record — that Hilsner took part in a “Jewish group murder” — and the fact that the Czech judiciary won’t clear his name hints at other parts of their past they’d prefer to forget.
“The Future Shapes the Past”
Written, Directed, and Produced by
Bryan Felber
Release date: November 14th, 2025
Director’s Journey
Shot across the Czech Republic, Germany, the United States, and Canada, the film is directed by Los Angeles native Bryan Felber, a filmmaker dedicated to bringing lesser-known stories to mainstream audiences.
With the initial idea of focusing on the history of Jews in the Czech lands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, “The Future Shapes the Past” has evolved into a sprawling documentary about the role history plays in politics, centered on the Hilsner Affair of 1899–1900 and the ongoing effort to posthumously exonerate the Jewish man accused of ritual murder.
A century ago, during a period of rapid Jewish assimilation into Czech society, there was also a growing backlash—one manifestation of which was the resurgence of the blood libel: the baseless medieval myth that Jews use Christian blood in their festive bread, matzah.
In March of 1899, in the town of Polná, a young Catholic woman named Anežka Hrůzová was found murdered in the woods during the Jewish holiday of Passover. A Jewish man, Leopold Hilsner, was accused by townspeople, and an antisemitic media campaign was launched that divided Czech society—soon becoming known as the Hilsner Affair.
Short clip from the film describing the rise of antisemitism in Europe at the turn of the 20th century
Although Hilsner spent 18 years in prison and was pardoned by Austrian Emperor Charles I, his guilty verdict remains on the books. Today, historians, journalists, and lawyers are working to overturn the verdict.
The film investigates who likely killed Anežka—but it asks the bigger question of why the Czech and Austrian judiciary have been so reluctant to just exonerate this man.
To this second question, the film examines a broader European pattern: the tendency to downplay or deny responsibility for the Holocaust. The uncomfortable truth is that many nations were complicit in, and actively collaborated with, the Nazi genocide. This remains a deeply sensitive subject across the continent. If clearing the name of one poor Jewish man—an early victim of modern antisemitism decades before the Holocaust—remains impossible, how can we expect those same nations to honestly face their role in the genocide itself?
Short clip from the film featuring this idea of European-wide complicity and collaboration in the Holocaust
Advanced Private Screener:
To request access email bryan@steelantproductions.com