'Schindler's List' Rereleased On 25th Anniversary As Anti-Semitism Roars In America

Courtesy of Photofest; Franco Origlia/WireImage 'Schindler’s List' (1993); Inset: Steven Spielberg

The epic movie ‘Schindler’s List’ is being released into theaters to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Oscar-winning film that debuted Dec. 15, 1993. ‘Schindler’s List’ — which won seven Oscars, including for best picture, director, adapted screenplay and original score — will be rereleased in a limited engagement on Friday.

Director Steven Spielberg sat down for an interview with ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor Lester Holt that will air Wednesday, Dec. 12th.

"I think this is maybe the most important time to rerelease this film," said Spielberg, according to a transcript of the interview released ahead of its broadcast. The motion picture about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust may be more important now due to the global rise in hate crimes, hate speech and propaganda — including in America.

"When collective hate organizes and gets industrialized, then genocide follows," the Oscar-winning filmmaker tells 'NBC Nightly News' host Lester Holt in the Dec. 12 interview.

Holt and Spielberg discuss the August 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia murder of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, as she protested a white supremacist rally. President Donald Trump — who has been accused of racism in the past, writes The Hollywood Reporter — inflamed outrage by saying there were "very fine people on both sides" of the tragic Charlottesville event. 

Hate crimes increased by 17 percent last year compared to 2016, according to a new FBI report. Notably, of the 1,679 religious bias crimes reported in 2017, 58.1 percent were anti-Jewish, while 18.6 percent were anti-Muslim.

"I think it's just that — you know, hate has become less of — hate's less parenthetical today, it's more a headline," said Spielberg.