Film Series: Global Resettlement after 1945

Film Series: Global Resettlement after 1945

About the Film Series

An often-overlooked consequence of the Second World War was that it resulted in the largest migration process of the 20th century. After 1945, millions of people were displaced as a result of forced labour, deportation, and flight. The film series sheds light on the fate of Jewish displaced persons after the war and the attempt to build a new life after the violent rupture and destruction caused by the Holocaust. “The Windemere Children” deals with the resettlement of children, one of the most vulnerable groups of refugees. The movie is followed by a talk with Trevor Avery, the historical research advisor of the film project. The screening of “The Juggler” addresses the arrival and settlement in a new country in context of trauma, loss of identity, and guilt. It is followed by a round table discussion. The film screenings are organised by the doctoral students of the ERC project “GLORE – Global Resettlement Regimes. Ambivalent Lessons learned from the Postwar (1945-1951)” and the FWF project “Norms, Regulation and Refugee Agency. Negotiating the Migration Regimes”.

The Windermere Children, 29/4/2024 – 19:30
GB 2020, 90 min, OV, dt. UT
The movie is based on the true story of a project by the United Kingdom Government to rehabilitate child survivors of the Holocaust on the shores of Lake Windermere. It is the story of 300 young orphaned Jewish refugees who were brought to England’s Lake District in the summer of 1945. Child psychologist Oscar Friedmann, along with a team of counsellors, was given four months to help the children start a new life, with the help of art trauma therapy, soccer practice, and language training. However, at night, the children were haunted by nightmares and yearned for news of their loved ones. In absence of relatives, the children found a family in each other. With the help of first-person testimonies, the movie gives voice to the experiences of these child survivors and their struggle of a new beginning.

Director: Michael Samuels

Producer: Alison Sterling

Cast: Thomas Kretschmann, Romola Garai, Ian Glen, and others

Production: Wall to Wall Media, Warner Brothers & ZDF

Registration for the Film Series

Admission is free for students after registration. Please indicate as a comment/message which film you would like to attend / if you would like to attend both films.