Director Michel Leclerc’s mother and her friends (and legendary mime Marcel Marceau) were amongst 500 World War II orphans and foster kids raised by Yvonne & Roger Hagnauer, aka Goëland and Pingouin, code names for these strong-willed Resistance members. Between 1941-1970 at their school ‘Maison de Sèvres’, they dedicated their lives to innovative educational methods to help the children heal and blossom. Leclerc, through archive footage and interviews, uncovers in this fascinating, rich documentary a remarkable couple who left an indelible mark in all these children’s hearts. Beginning with the story of his mother Léa, Leclerc gives us a unique account of freedom, education and openness, and something of what people lived and experienced during the war

Screening as part of the IFI French Film Festival 2020, November 11th-22nd. Full schedule here.