Every year on May 4 and 5, the Dutch reflect on World War II. May 4th is remembrance day for the victims of this devastating war. On May 5th the liberation from the German occupation is celebrated.

Although it’s been nearly 70 years since World War II ended, there are many elderly people who still struggle with their experiences and memories of their childhood during that period–issues they had to deal with during the war between 1940 and 1945, and which have carried on over the decades to today. In those early years there was no organization like the nonprofit War Child to help the children.

On May 4, War Child has made a tradition of rolling out a PSA in which someone who was a child in World War II finally shares his story after all those years. He looks back on the consequences the unresolved issues have had on his life.

Now we hear from Jan who shares his story for the very first time in his life in this commercial. He knows better than anyone what horrible psychological consequences a war can have on a child’s life.
We see a young child speak words which are in Jan’s now adult voice. He recalls when he was five years old–while playing in the street–seeing Nazis taking children, the elderly and disabled people and brutally throwing them into a truck–bodies piled on top of each other. They were being taken to concentration camps. We hear Jan’s voice–as mouthed by a child–tell of the images that he can never forget.
Then messages appear on screen which read, “Don’t let this story become his story”/”Help us take the war out of a child.”

The camera then takes us to an elderly Jan today, teary eyed over the memories of his childhood. The War Child logo appears along with a website address: warchildholland.org.

Credits

Client War Child Agency Doom&Dickson, Amsterdam Dennis Baars, Erik Falke, creative (concept); Marcel Frensch, Rogier Mahieu, creative direction; Joost van Middelaar, Sander van de Vlasakker, creative (development); Hanneke Kampschreur, Sarah Giliam, producers; Joey Duis, strategy. Production hazazaH, Amsterdam Bram Schouw, director; Judith Engels, Shaheen Butt, production; Jasper Wolf, DP. Editorial Kapsalon Editing & Hard  Cuts Annelien van Wijnbergen, editor. Post Crabsalad, Amsterdam Laurens Orij, online editor; Kasper Ophof, color grading. Audio Soundcircus, Amsterdam Feike de Wit, engineer.

MySHOOT Profiles