After World War II, children were not only perceived as the greatest victims of war and persecution but also as the most important 'raw material' of the future. This perception put children at the centre of practical measures of governments and aid agencies. At the same time, images of the war child emerged in art, literature, and film and allowed the public to engage with the post-war crisis and find ways to overcome it for the 'sake of our children’s future'. This lecture looks at European films about war children and discusses how images of children created on cinema screens encouraged hope and the outlook of a new beginning after the catastrophe.

Please join us for this lecture given by Dr Ute Wölfel, Lecturer in German Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and European Studies, University of Reading. There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion after the lecture.

(Photograph: Phoebe Cusden collection, Berkshire Record Office, D/EX1485/15/17, used with kind permission from Berkshire Record Office)