Phase 5- The Story So Far
The film was finally finished in April 2002, by which point Hitler was everywhere to the point of saturation- HItler’s Gold, Hitler’s Wives, Hitler’s Satanic Beliefs, no stone was left unturned. The Twin Towers had fallen and suddenly the honest memory-driven tone of our film and the black and white politics of that earlier war were deemed not as in demand as edgy current affairs. The film has been a steady seller to tourists and enthusiasts on VHS and DVD since its launch, yet despite our very best efforts, Toni was never to see the light of day on TV.
However with the one disappointment comes the dawn of other opportunities- now the Internet can be the voice for our film. We are keen that future generations have the opportunity to not only see Toni as we cut it but also the additional footage we thought would always be lost. Through our large Channel Islands Occupation Archive project we can create records of a time gone by that hopefully people can enjoy for many generations.
We firmly believe that the hard work was worth it in the end. The film received the full support of the Occupation Society of Guernsey with a couple of premiere events particularly helping to remove people’s initial skepticisms and replace it with a heartfelt acceptance. Comments from survivors who lived through the Occupation of the Channel Islands included noting how unbiased the films approach is, which was entirely our aim when we set out, and how we treated everyone as human beings, the good, the bad, the flawed.
We have received help from a number of people in getting this film finished in terms of financial aid and time. In particular we would like to thank Andy Issac and the Film Exchange for their support of the film and their generosity that allowed us to get the film cut. Most importantly, we would like to thank our extremely patient investors who took a leap of faith with two untested filmmakers. We truly hope your patience will be rewarded one day…
