The Eleventh hour on the eleventh day in the eleventh month. Another Remembrance Day. It’s observed in many countries. November 11 sparks a range of conflicting opinions. Let’s look at the day’s role in commemorating military sacrifice and its broader implications. Some people view it as an essential day to honour those who served and sacrificed in wars, reinforcing a sense of national pride, unity, and respect. However, others argue that it risks glorifying war, nationalism, or military power, feeling that it doesn’t sufficiently emphasize the tragic loss of life and the importance of peace.
How filmmakers approach Remembrance Day
In response, filmmakers have approached Remembrance Day and the themes of war and sacrifice in varied ways.
Soldiers’ courage and resilience
Some create films that honour soldiers’ courage and resilience, portraying them as heroes within a patriotic frame, like Dunkirk (2017), which emphasises survival and unity.
The cost of war
Other filmmakers adopt a more critical or reflective approach, questioning the costs of war and exploring the psychological toll on soldiers and societies, as in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930, 2022), which emphasizes the brutality and futility of war from a soldier’s perspective.
The moral ambiguity of war
Films like Paths of Glory (1957) and Platoon (1986) delve into the moral ambiguities and horrors of warfare, often challenging narratives that frame war in heroic terms.
Fade Out
Where do you stand on Remembrance Day? My stance is clear. I was brought up pacifist by my Amish/Mennonite family. My forebears refused to carry weapons. When forced into combat as stretcher bearers, they were often shot in the back, labelled as cowards.
And looking at the swathes of destruction in Ukraine and Gaza, can there be any justification for the cost and deplorable destruction? Where one guided missile could fund an education programme for a thousand children, or feed a large city for a month? Is there any sense in that? And do we really want to0 see the owners of the private industrial military complex become wealthier and wealthier with our tax dollars?
Those are my 2 cents. Leave yours in the comment box below.
By navigating these perspectives, filmmakers contribute to Remembrance Day discourse, either by upholding its traditional values or pushing for a more nuanced understanding of war and remembrance. Make your voice count.
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I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
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