Jan Eliasberg

Award-winning writer-director Eliasberg’s first novel was inspired by an unnamed female physicist, mentioned in a New York Times article from the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Based on the real woman who discovered nuclear fission, it tells the story of what her life might have been. In 1945, Austrian physicist Hannah Weiss works in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It’s discovered that research secrets are being leaked from the top-secret nuclear lab to Germany, and Hannah is suspected as a spy—but the truth isn’t always what it seems. The story then turns to 1938 Berlin, where young Hannah is dedicated to her research, but as a Jewish woman, she is often overlooked, and her ideas stolen by her German superiors. As the war unfolds, Hannah must decide when to remain loyal, and her choice will change the world forever. Eliasberg moves effortlessly between Hannah’s past and present to deliver a historical love story full of intrigue and suspense. Hannah’s War shines a much-needed light on one of the most influential women in history.

— Melissa Norstedt