Seeds of Destiny (1946)

Directed by

David Miller

Genre

documentary film, propaganda film

Country

United States

Runtime

20 min

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 9 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A documentary about orphaned and homeless children in Europe after the Holocaust. It shows their suffering in camps and on the streets, and promotes the work of an aid organization helping them.

somberurgentbleakcompassionateearnesthumanitarianinformativestirring

What happens

Seeds of Destiny is a 1946 short propaganda film about the despairing situation faced by millions of children in the wake of the Holocaust who were homeless, parentless, orphaned, and in poor health. The film was produced by the Defense Department of The U.S. Army War Department to keep the world's attention focused on the suffering of displaced and orphaned refugee children in transit and displaced persons camps in Europe and to champion the work of UNRRA. It was the winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1946. It was directed by accomplished short film — and later feature film — director David Miller. In countries throughout Europe, as soon as an area had been liberated by the armed forces of the United Nations or as a consequence of retreat of the enemy, the U.S. Army Signal Corps filmed dramatic images of neglected and injured children in displaced persons' camps, refugee camps or wandering the streets in the rubble of bombed out cities. By 1944, the United States had joined with other nations as a signatory with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). The film was premiered before the UNRRA in 1946, and the revenue raised from its distribution was pledged to relieve suffering of the civilians affected by the war, and to assist in their repatriation. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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