Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. The film is based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally, which tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Jewish workers during the Holocaust.
In the film, Schindler (played by Liam Neeson) moves to Krakow, Poland, to take advantage of the cheap labor available in the Jewish ghettos. He sets up a factory and hires Jewish workers, initially with the intention of making a profit. However, Schindler soon develops a conscience and begins to see the workers as people rather than just a means to an end.
As the Nazis begin their mass deportation of Jews to concentration camps, Schindler pays bribes and uses his influence to keep his workers safe from the horrific fate that awaits them. He spends his fortune bribing officials and providing his workers with food, shelter, and medical care.
In one of the film's most intense sequences, Schindler uses every trick in the book to convince SS officers not to take his workers away, even going so far as to stage a party in his factory and ply the officers with alcohol.
As the war comes to an end and the Nazis begin their retreat, Schindler arranges for his workers to be transported to safety in Switzerland. In a heartbreaking scene, Schindler breaks down in tears, lamenting that he could have saved more lives if only he had sold his car or his gold cufflinks.
The film was a critical and commercial success, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and is often used as a teaching tool in Holocaust education.