To commemorate 80 years of freedom last year, Canadian documentary maker Jason van Bruggen made the documentary '80 Faces | 80 Stories of Freedom'. This initiative was created in close cooperation with our information center, partly thanks to a grant from the Municipality of Rijssen-Holten.

A short version runs in our information center. And now we can also full documentary share with you. This special report also includes Holteners and some of our volunteers.

Producer Van Bruggen explains: “There are fewer and fewer veterans and Dutch survivors of WWII who can share first-hand memories with future generations. It is high time to capture their stories. There are countless stories about courageous Canadians and Dutch people who risked their lives to help each other and save lives. This documentary is about 80 testimonials, one for each past year, and 80 “thank you”. The recordings were made at relevant locations in the Netherlands and Canada.”

Dutch people over 90, some of whom immigrated to Canada after the war, talk poignantly about their war experiences, the traces left by this war and, above all, about the liberation by the Canadians.

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