Five Greek-Jewish children who were saved by Christian families during the German Occupation, five “hidden children” who lived in total silence, tell their stories. Stories of terror, anguish and confusion but also stories of salvation and carefree childhood into the arms of strangers. Secret Gardens of Eden, nests of love away from the horror of the Holocaust. Five children were forced to mature abruptly. Rosina, Iossif, Eftyhia, Shelly and Marios grew old, carrying the memory of thousands of children, those who were never given the time to grow up. The movie follows these persons from childhood to present day, revealing their hidden stories and invaluable personal documents -a diary of a child, photographs and home movies. It also depicts the life of the Greek Jewish Communities before the War, complemented with rare images of Occupied Greece from archival material, as well as amateur films by German soldiers and illegal footage shot by Greek patriots. “Kisses to the Children” is not just another film about the Holocaust; it’s a film about childhood in the shadow of the Holocaust. Personal, little stories in the turbulence of History. “Kisses to the Children” was shot in Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioannina & Chania, Greece, and in Auschwitz, Poland. For 10 weeks it was in theatrical release in Athens & Thessaloniki, was screened in many Greek towns, won awards at film festivals and received many rave reviews. It was screened in New York on June 19th 2013 as a special event organized by American Sephardi Federation and American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece. * The film’s director Vassilis Loules will be present every night to share his experiences with the audience and answer questions after the screenings. *On Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th of October 2013, the documentary is going to be projected with English Subtitles. Festival Awards Greek Film Festival Chicago 2012, USA -Audience Award “Agon”-International Meeting of Archaeological Film 2012, Athens, Greece -Best Direction Award of the Jury -Award of the Public Olympia International Film Festival for Children & Young People 2011, Greece -Best Feature Length Documentary Award of the International Jury -Best Feature Length Documentary Award of the Children’s Jury Chalkida Greek Documentary Festival 2011, Greece -Best Direction -2nd Best Documentary -Best Music PRODUCTION CREDITS Testimonies Rosina Asser-Pardo Iossif Ventura Eftyhia Nachman-Nachmia Shelly Kounio-Cohen Marios Soussis Written and directed by Vassilis Loules Research Vassilis Loules Rea Apostolides With the collaboration of THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF GREECE Editing Vassilis Loules Chronis Theocharis Yannis Katsamboulas Music Nikos Kypourgos Produced by -MASSIVE PRODUCTIONS -VASSILIS LOULES -GREEK FILM CENTRE -HELLENIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION (ERT) With the kind support of -THE J. F. COSTOPOULOS FOUNDATION -JEWISH COMMUNITY OF THESSALONIKI -CENTRAL BOARD OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN GREECE -AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATION -THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF GREECE -TASK FORCE FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION, REMEMBRANCE, AND RESEARCH Film archive footage and Photographs kindly provided by -THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF GREECE -UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM -GREEK FILM ARCHIVE -WAR MUSEUM OF ATHENS -JEWISH MUSEUM OF THESSALONIKI -FOTOS LABRINOS FILM ARCHIVE -PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE OF BENAKI MUSEUM Developed in the workshops of STORYDOC - The Educational Institute for Documentaries