Little Belgium Backdrop Blur
Little Belgium Poster

Little Belgium

A profile of the more than 2,000 Belgian refugees in the fishing port of Brixham.

Top Cast

Overview

A profile of the more than 2,000 Belgian refugees in the fishing port of Brixham.

Rating

6.4 / 10
7 Reviews
0 Popular

1 Reviews

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    6 Mar 5, 2025

    Brixham is a town of around 15,000 people on the coast of Devon that saw an influx of almost 2,000 Belgian refugees fleeing the Nazi invasion at the start of World War II. This is an engaging short film that illustrates just how readily these people joined in with the efforts of the local fishermen to catch and land their hauls whilst always in danger of strafing from Luftwaffe aircraft. Meantime, the youngsters are at school learning - in Flemish - about their own country and their own history, as well as how to tie an array of complex knots that make it clear that their maritime past will still carry on in the future once the menace has been defeated and they can return home in peace. The film includes some interesting archive that more generally helps us appreciate the largely manual and exertive efforts as well as the teamwork going on as some fairly hefty tonnages of fish make their way inland to help, vitally, with the provision of a nutritious food supply. It’s only ten minutes and shows us an example of the war effort - with a difference.

Recommendations

Night Will Fall

When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".

Night Will Fall

7.6 2014