Waiting for Anya
From the mind of world-renowned author Michael Morpurgo comes the cinematic adaptation of Waiting for Anya - a powerful and authentic true story of a young shepherd that had a key part to play in one of the world's most shocking moments in history. Based on the novel by the author of War Horse, Waiting for Anya follows the story of Jo Lalande, a thirteen-year-old shepherd living in the mountain village of Lescun. Though Europe may be ravaged by the horrors of World War II, Jo's world in the French Pyrenees has remained remarkably untouched. That is, until a ferocious encounter with a bear introduces Jo to the mysterious Benjamin, a Jewish refugee who is desperately awaiting the arrival of his missing daughter, Anya, before making his escape across the border. Making friends with Benjamin and his mother-in-law Horcada, an isolated widow who lives in the nearby mountains, Jo becomes aware of a very dangerous secret - the family are involved in smuggling Jewish children over the mountains to the safety of Spain. In a heroic act of defiance, Jo promises to assist Benjamin in his endeavours...but soon becomes embroiled in a perilous conspiracy when German troops make their descent upon the village. Filmed in the village of Lescun and the surrounding Aspe Valley, France in which the true to life story also originated, the film boasts an all-stellar cast including Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things), Academy Award Winner Anjelica Huston (Ever After, The Addams Family), Jean Reno (Leon, The Big Blue, Ronin), Frederick Schmidt (Mission: Impossible - Fallout), Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist, Central Intelligence) and Nicholas Rowe (Riviera, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels).
