Sam Mendes’ First Documentary: “What They Found” Sheds Light on the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

You know that feeling when you sit down in a dark theater, popcorn in hand, and the screen lights up with something so raw, so visceral, it feels like the world stops? That’s what I imagine watching What They Found will feel like. Directed by none other than Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes (1917, American Beauty), this isn’t just another documentary—it’s an emotional gut punch wrapped in history.

For the first time ever, Mendes steps into the realm of non-fiction storytelling. And boy, did he pick a heavy subject. The film dives deep into the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, one of Nazi Germany’s most notorious concentration camps. It tells the story through the eyes of two British Army cameramen—Sgt. Mike Lewis and Sgt. Bill Lawrie—who were there at ground zero, capturing footage that would shake the world.

Now, let me set the scene for you. Picture Northern Germany, April 1945. Two soldiers, cameras slung over their shoulders, march alongside Allied troops toward what they think is a typhus hospital. But as they arrive, reality hits them like a freight train. What they discover is beyond comprehension: emaciated bodies stacked like cordwood, survivors barely clinging to life, and the stench of death hanging thick in the air. Their footage became the first window the world had into the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Mendes doesn’t rely on flashy reenactments or talking heads here. Instead, he lets the voices and visuals of these two men carry the weight of the narrative. “Using only the voices and footage shot by two British army cameramen during the latter stages of the Second World War,” Mendes said, “I hope this documentary gives a unique perspective on the discovery of the horrors of Belsen, and the reality of the Holocaust.”

And trust me, it’s not just about showing us the past; it’s about making sure we never forget. As Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, producers behind projects like Man on Wire, pointed out, the last survivors and witnesses to these horrors are fading away. With surveys showing alarming gaps in young people’s knowledge of the Holocaust—and worse, its denial becoming more vocal—this couldn’t come at a better time.

Dr. James Bulgin from the Imperial War Museums adds another layer of depth. He calls the original footage used in the doc “an indelible mark on the world.” By weaving together archival material with critical context, What They Found doesn’t just show the images—it explains why they matter. It’s almost poetic how Mendes uses the lens of these ordinary men to tell an extraordinary story.

Simon Young, Head of Commissioning for History at the BBC, sums it up perfectly: “There could be no more fitting way to mark the anniversary of the liberation than by working with Sam Mendes and his team to create a chilling vision of what the liberators found.”

If you’ve seen 1917, you already know Mendes has a knack for immersing audiences in war. His ability to make viewers feel like they’re right there—in the trenches, in the chaos—is unmatched. Now, imagine that same intensity applied to real-life tragedy. Yeah, it’s going to hit hard.

What They Found premieres on BBC Two and iPlayer in April, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation. Produced by Lightbox in association with Neal Street Productions and the Imperial War Museums, this project is shaping up to be one of the most important documentaries of the year.

So grab your tissues, folks. This isn’t just cinema—it’s history unfolding before our eyes.

FAQs