Walsh Bros are producing a documentary for Children's BBC about the children of Service personnel. The documentary will look at how children try and maintain normality as their lives are interrupted by a war that they might not understand, taking place in a country they may never have heard of. The focus is on the children, life through their eyes and how they try and maintain their lives as normally as possible. The film will be a unique opportunity for kids to speak directly to other kids about what it is like to have a parent go off to war. The goal of this film is not just to give a voice to this unheard story but to challenge perceptions of children of service personnel.
Documentaries they have made over the past couple of years have offered a national platform to issues often ignored in society. Two years ago they made the ground breaking series Sofa Surfers for CBBC, documenting child homelessness around the UK. This was followed by another film, Karate Kids, which was narrated by David Tennant and aired on BBC 2 earlier this year. You can view clips of these films at: http://www.walshbros.co.uk. The shoot style is non instructive observational documentary and we have small crew of only four. Using original artwork from the children taking part we will illustrate the stories that they want to tell: from the first day their Mum or Dad went off to fight, to what they imagine the Theatre of War looks like.
They are now at the stage of looking for families who might care to take part in the documentary. At the moment they're trying to pass this information to as many families as possible, leaving them open to contact the company should they care for more information. If you are interested, please contact Jon Cowen on joncowen@walshbros.co.uk.