“THE CHILDREN OF CHABANNES”
A film by Lisa Gossels and Dean Wetherell
April 7th, 2013 at 3pm
Event is free and open to the public.
Sponsored by The Joseph and Eda Pell Endowed Fund for Jewish Studies. Co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley Graduate Program in Jewish Studies, Berkeley Hillel, the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and the Graduate Theological Union.
Ms. Gossels and her father Peter Gossels, one of the saved children of Chabannes, will do a Q&A after the screening.
It’s not about the mystery of evil: it’s about an equally awesome subject. the mystery of good. — Stanley Kaufmann, The New RepublicOne of the most heartening Holocaust films ever made.
— Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles TimesA moving record of the unassuming, uncompromising heroism of ordinary people.
— A.O. Scott, The New York Times
Felix Chevrier and the children of Chabannes. 1942
ABOUT THE FILM
In the spirit of Louis Malle’s Au Revoir les Enfants and Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, the Emmy® Award-winning film THE CHILDREN OF CHABANNES has been praised as “splendid, informative and emotionally involving” (Los Angeles Times) and called “a seamless memoir of courage and a tribute to the human spirit.” (New York Daily News).
A magical World War II tale of resilience and love, THE CHILDREN OF CHABANNES reveals the untold story of how the people in a tiny village in unoccupied France chose action over indifference to save the lives of 400 Jewish refugee children. Returning to the forgotten corner of France with her father and uncle (two of the saved children), filmmaker Lisa Gossels and co-director Dean Wetherell movingly recreate the joys and fears of daily life in Chabannes during the war. Through warm and wonderful accounts from the educators, townspeople and from the children themselves, we see how this oasis of hope is shattered in August of 1942, when the war reaches the doorsteps of the crumbling chateau where the children lived.
A celebration of human kindness, THE CHILDREN OF CHABANNES delivers a profound message of tolerance. The film documents the remarkable efforts made by the citizens of Chabannes, who risked their lives and livelihoods to protect these children, simply because they felt it was the right thing to do.
“It’s not about the mystery of evil: it’s about an equally awesome subject. the mystery of good.” Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic
“One of the most heartening Holocaust films ever made.” Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
“A moving record of the unassuming, uncompromising heroism of ordinary people.” A.O. Scott, The New York Times
