Independent UK filmmaker Tristan Tull has created the documentary titled Occupation: An Island Story which features interviews, animations and original archive footage detailing what it was like to live in Jersey during the Second World War.
The documentary is set to be screened at the Jersey Museum on 3 September.
Mr Tull said the inspiration for the documentary came after hearing stories about the Occupation through his sister, who works at a care home in Jersey.
‘My sister would often tell me about stories that had been passed to her from elderly residents in the homes she has worked at. I did not want these stories to die out and so I thought why not bring them to life in a documentary.
‘I travelled to the Island in 2018 and my first interview was with a care-home resident my sister worked with. From there it was a really organic collaboration as through various connections I got to meet people who have lived through the Occupation and were happy to tell their story,’ he said.
People interviewed in the documentary include Idrys Buesnel, Pat Troy, Bob Le Sueur, Alan Venton, Anne Venton and Sally Coffin. Mr Tull said he has also collated an extensive collection of original footage from Jersey Heritage and the Imperial War Museum.
‘We started shooting in 2018, but since then a lot of the time, and my own money, has been taken up by finding all of this footage. As a filmmaker you want to try and present your work in a unique way and so we have brought old maps, photographs and letters from the Occupation and brought them to life through animation,’ he said. ‘No one over here [in England] really knows the extent of the Occupation, so for those from outside of the Island, the documentary aims to shine light on a story many are not aware of, but for Islanders it aims to be a sort of resemblance of their heritage and identity,’ he added.
