What people are saying about After the war with Hannelore :

“In regards to Scott’s debut documentary effort, After the War with Hannelore, I found it to be an evocative and meaningful film. In particular his animations of archival images of the Cold War overlaying the photographs to be a unique and compelling way of integrating a photo essay into a film narrative. He is a natural storyteller and filmmaker of quality and I am confident his work will serve as educational tools for years to come.”

Hugh Wm. Brodie
Manager, Partnerships & Communications
Québec Region, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

J’ai apprécié le propos autant que la forme. Tu sais jouer avec l’image et les mots pour en faire une véritable œuvre. Ton film est sincère et beau. Félicitations! Je te souhaite d’exploser ton talent à travers les multiples disciplines que tu as apprivoisées. Le cinéma, cet art de synthèse, te va comme un gant. Paix dans ton cœur et sur la Terre.

Thérèse Descary

Productrice L’Office Nationale du Film du Canada

“In Scott’s hands Hannalore’s story is delivered sensitively - not syrupy. His astute use of visuals and prose pulled me into the story and made me feel like I was sharing her memories. The intimate style of story-telling made me care about the subject and gave a personal perspective on a slice of history that I had not found compelling before this doc.

Scott’s secret is that he cares. Hannalore and Scott will be forever friends for what he created between them. He immersed himself in this documentary for years and continues to nurture it screenings, talks and events.”

Christine Long

CTV Montreal, Arts & Entertainment Reporter

“I found Mr. MacLeod's first foray into the world of documentary filmmaking, After the War with Hannelore, to be an impressive and informative tale of a woman growing up in a demolished and suddenly divided city, Berlin. I came away enlightened by this first-person account of what everyday life was like for those living there, but I was also moved by Hannelore's tender tales about catching air-lift candy and losing school-friends, and by watching her revisit childhood places and friends.”

Despite being a new filmmaker, Mr. MacLeod brings unique abilities to his projects. He has, for many years, been blending story-telling with music, visiting schools to recount stories from Canada's history rendered in song. As such, he has shown a wonderful capacity for, and interest in, using art as a mode for education and discussion -- a quality given full expression with his film. And as an accomplished painter and illustrator, he has a trained eye for form and image; and his use of his own animated drawings of archival images gave the film dual layers of realism and reverie. ”

Randy Renaud

Radio and TV Host & Culture Critic, CTV Montreal & CHOM-FM

Hannelore told me yesterday, after the first screening: “there are so many people that have lived the same thing as I did, but not everyone makes a film about it. Well, we did.”

And how well you did! I really was stunned by the incredibly professional work you and your team did, the thoughtfully elaborated, smart script and montage; not to mention the amazingly well orchestrated score. It was more than impressive – I think, for everyone in the audience.

So again, congratulations on this chef-d’oeuvre; all the work, time and devotion you invested has made your film something very special.

Sascha Bardens

Conseiller en développement des affaires - Business Consultant

La Chambre canadienne allemande de l'industrie et du commerce Inc. - Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Inc.

I really enjoyed your film. Your protagonist is brilliant. And I love the way you integrated her french husband in the film and the filmmaking. I think she has so many more stories of her life... I was quite fascinated.

I also like your animation parts very much. It is a nice realistic style, but it makes so much sense to use drawings instead of documentary and it looks and feels so much more authentic.

Annegret Richter

Festivaldirektorin - Filmfest Dresden

The room was filled with a community: men and woman old enough to be my grandparents helped ground the proximity of the story.

Here was an event, a story among thousands like it, that expresses our true capacities as human beings. To act in the horrors of war, but also, to reflect and aspire to alter our present course. For myself and the many other young people in the audience it is that second capacity that we yearn for.

John Huddart

Film Student Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

I watched your film with my son Ben and then re-watched with commentary. We liked it a lot, loved the animations and art interlaced with footage, your solutions to running out of footage, the topic, and Hannelore's personal narratives interwoven with historical background.

Tom Bauer

Script Writer

I watched your film, finally!! I really liked how it was presented, such a different view of that time... Hannelore is just awesome!! I can see why you'd want to make a film of her experience. Very touching to know she influenced you. I liked the music very much as well. I'm going to watch it again.

Lisa LeBlanc

I just heard a great little piece on CBC radio about After the War with Hannelore, and was really impressed with your storytelling (and your music!); congratulations on creating such a wonderful, evocative, meaningful film. The illustrations overlaying the photographs were of particular interest to me, as I found them to be a unique and compelling way of integrating a photo essay into a film narrative, and I've never seen anything like that before. Those artwork/photography montages really stuck with me for days.

Emily Dore

Bravo pour ce projet très réussi pour lequel j'avais beaucoup d'attentes. Ce bijou de vingt deux minutes, dans lequel musiques, animations, archives et témoignages communiquent par résonance, raconte de façon émouvante des souvenirs de la vie d'Hannelore... Encore bravo, ton film m'a touché.

Sinan Saber

I just wanted to say that aside from the cool/crazy living history of Berlin, and Hannelore's amazing role as vessel for such a narrative, the narrative of her life... what struck me in your film as really cool and incredibly well done is that you were drawing together so many threads of what it means to be an artist. Spinning Hannelore's narrative, framing it, embellishing and re-contextualizing it with so many different visual and audio techniques and layers as you did, and to create a finish product that is as powerful.

Christine Rogers

I just watched your film. Amazing... I'm feeling moved and inspired. The way you fitted all the layers together is very special and the way the pencil drawings grew so organically into the story... how did you ever imagine them into the film? I'm looking forward to listening to your commentary - Beautiful sweat, beautiful tears.

Congratulations!

Niki Paquin

I really enjoyed the narration, the personality of Hannelore, the tenderness-complicity of your camera towards her, the childlike spirit, the energy in one word. Beautiful artwork, very original. I love the effects with drawings and images mixed together. I also enjoyed the music and I paid attention to the lyrics, which add another layer of narration.

Julie Rémi

I just wanted to let you know how thoroughly I enjoyed your film. I really appreciated the vignette style for the different periods of her life, the soundtrack and the animations as well. What a huge project! Informative too: I was unaware of how and how quickly land was carved up after the Germans surrendered.

I watched it with my mom and we had some interesting discussions afterwards. Hannelore was too young to remember the actual war and time immediately after so my mom filled in her details. Very cool.

Mark Zimmerl

I just wanted to thank you again for giving me a copy of your beautiful film. It was truly inspiring!! Your wonderful animation, beautiful story, and great music too! It's really a unique work.

Heidi Daehler