April 6, 2023 —  The International Rescue Committee is pleased to share that the Netflix series Transatlantic, created by Anna Winger and Daniel Hendler, premiers tomorrow (April 7th) on the streaming platform. 

Transatlantic is inspired by the story of Varian Fry, an American journalist who was the founding member of the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC). In 1940s Marseilles, he worked with a team from all national origins and faiths - many of them refugees themselves - to help people targeted by the Nazi regime.

Often at great risk to themselves, Fry and his colleagues assisted over 4,000 people with financial support, employment, places to hide, and the means to leave Vichy France. They served as first responders and delivered essential and urgent care. The people they helped included artists, writers, and thought leaders, such as artists Max Ernst, Marc Chagall, and Marcel Duchamp, writer and artist Leonora Carrington, and political scientist Hannah Arendt.

When Fry returned to New York and as the crisis in Europe deepened, the ERC merged with the International Relief Association. This new organization became the International Rescue Committee, which has continued to stand with refugees for over ninety years.

The Airbel Impact Lab at the International Rescue Committee takes its name from the residence where Fry and others - artists and colleagues - stayed, as people waited to escape Vichy France. Today, Airbel is a team of researchers and innovators developing and scaling impactful solutions to support people affected by crises.

David Miliband, the IRC’s President and CEO, said:

“Fry and his colleagues had little precedence, but through action and ingenuity - by embracing inventive thinking, taking calculated risks, and building and scaling through success, they supported over 4,000 people with funds, jobs, places to hide, and means to leave Vichy France. For 90 years, this spirit has persisted throughout the IRC and throughout our programs in 40 countries worldwide, as we continue to help and support people during times of conflict to survive and rebuild their lives."