Kisses to the Children
by Vassilis Loules , Greece
Five Greek-Jewish children who were saved by Christian families during the German Occupation, five hidden children who lived in total silence, tell their stories. Stories of terror, anguish and confusion but also stories of salvation and carefree childhood into the arms of strangers – which became secret Gardens of Eden, nests of love away from the horror of the Holocaust. Five children were forced to mature abruptly. Rosina, Iossif, Eftyhia, Shelly and Marios grew old, carrying the memory of thousands of children, those who were never given the time to grow up. The movie follows these persons fro childhood to present day, revealing their hidden stories and invaluable personal documents -a diary of a chlid, photographs and home movies. It also depicts the life of the Greek Jewish Communities before the War, complemented with rare images of Occupied Greece from archival material, as well as amateur films by German soldiers and illegal footage shot by Greek patriots. ”Kisses to the Children“ is not just another film about the Holocaust; It’s a film about childhood in the shadow of the Holocaust.