"Victory 1945", Feature Length Documentary Commemorating 60th Anniversary of VE Day, Premieres on History Television Friday, May 6, at 9:00 P.M. (PT)

A nw feature length documentary entitled "Victory 1945" will premiere on Canadian television, May 6. The film's broadcast coincides with and commemorates the 60th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day - May 8, 1945 - marking the end of WWII in Europe. In the film, veterans and other Canadians remember the last few weeks of the war and the dramatic shift from a society at war to one suddenly at peace.

Vancouver/Toronto (PRWEB) April 2, 2005 -- The 60th anniversary of VE Day -- May 8, 1945 - marking the Allied victory in Europe and the end of the war with Germany, is commemorated by the World Premiere of "Victory 1945", a feature length documentary from Oscar-nominated Paperny Films, to be broadcast across Canada on History Television, Friday, May 6, at 9:00 p.m. PT, and Saturday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT.

In "Victory 1945", directed and co-written by Sue Ridout, Canadian war veterans, and the loved ones who waited for them back home, relate their personal, often heroic, stories of that dramatic wartime period sixty years ago. During those final, brutal months of WWII, many Canadian servicemen, whether fighting on land, sea, in the air, or interned in POW camps, wondered if they would live to see the Spring of 1945. The often-harrowing stories of our subjects describe the difficult conditions and situations they confronted.

These same eyewitnesses, now joined by several post-war immigrants to Canada, share their memories of the period after VE and VJ Day when Canadians faced the daunting realities brought on by a sudden peace. Beyond the simple joy of the homecoming, this generation had to find their place in a society undergoing a seismic shift from a country at war to a country at peace. There were no jobs, no goods, no housing and no going back to the way things had been before the war. Wave after wave of major changes were about to transform the Dominion.

"Victory 1945" draws on the memories, by turns elegiac, humorous, and poignant, of a group of distinguished Canadian veterans and their wives, including Alex Colville, who would become a world renowned artist, David Dickson, later a Supreme Court judge in New Brunswick, Peter Stursberg, a CBC war correspondent and author, John Dougan, who would have a long career as a Canadian ambassador, and others. We also hear from several post-war immigrants fleeing war-ravaged Europe, including former German U-Boat engineer Werner Hirschmann, Holocaust survivor Celina Lieberman, and a ten year-old German boy named Holger Herwig. Herwig would, decades later, become a Canadian historian and, with the renowned David Bercuson, act as one of the historical consultants on "Victory 1945".

The film also tells the unique story of Canadian tank sergeant Albert Thomas and Anneke Mercks, a six year-old Dutch girl whose life he saved in 1945. In a tale almost beyond belief, they rediscover each other in a small British Columbia town half a century later.

"Victory 1945" celebrates the personal legacies and the stories of revelation and reunion from a now passing generation. Those men and women hold the living memories of that era for us, and are a reminder of just how important a part Canada and its people played in the victory of 1945. Through the poignant memories of these brave men and women, the events of those difficult, pivotal months in our national history are vividly brought to life.

"Victory 1945" is directed by Sue Ridout (A Flag for Canada, The Life and Times of Hilary Weston) and written by Sue Ridout and Andrew Gardner. Narrator is Steve Burgess. Robert Landy is the editor, John Collins is director of photography, Patric Caird composed the music, and David Gullason is story editor. Co-Producer is Trevor Hodgson. Executive in Charge of Production for History Television is Tom Hastings. Paperny Films Cal Shumiatcher is the producer and David Paperny is executive producer.

Paperny Films, founded in 1994, is an independent, Vancouver-based production company known for its provocative, innovative, and entertaining television programming. The companys previous productions include The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter, nominated for an Academy Award in the 'Best Feature Documentary category, and The Boys of Buchenwald, nominated for three Gemini Awards. Along with "Victory 1945", Papernys current production slate includes four non-fiction television series: My Fabulous Gay Wedding (6 x 60 episodes, premiering this May on the Global Television Network); Crash Test Mommy (13 x 30 episodes, currently airing on Life Network); a fourth season of Kink (11 x 30 episodes, premiering this May on Showcase); and a fifth season of New Classics with Chef Rob Feenie (13 x 30 episodes, currently airing on Food Network); as well as the documentary special Thirst for Life, airing this May on Discovery Health, and later on Food Network and Life Network. The company is developing a number of other projects, including The Grand Alliance, a two-hour documentary about the dramatic three weeks Winston Churchill spent at the White House over Christmas 1941, working with Franklin Delano Roosevelt to hammer out a strategy to win World War II.

"Victory 1945" is produced by Paperny Films in association with History Television Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, CTF: Licence Fee Program, the Rogers Cable Network Fund, British Columbia Film Incentive BC, The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and developed with the participation of British Columbia Film - Television and Film Financing Program.

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