In 1944, John G. Morris was a young picture editor working in London for Life magazine, overseeing the photographic reportage of World War II. Normally confined to the picture desk, in June of that year he went to France to coordinate the coverage of the D-Day landings – of which the work of his friend Robert Capa became so famed.

Morris’s 14 rolls of black-and-white film from the four weeks he spent in north-western France were never intended for publication. The negatives and contact sheets remained in his personal archive until a long-time friend from Contact Press Images, Robert Pledge, rediscovered them and curated their exhibition at Visa pour l’image in 2013.

These images, now published in Quelque part en France: l’été 1944 de John G. Morris (Somewhere in France: John G. Morris and the Summer of 1944), provide a personal perspective of the Allied troops advancing toward German strongholds.

Morris, now 97, will be joining us in conversation with Robert Pledge, the co-founder of the international independent picture agency Contact Press Images, to present his images and discuss his world of photographic reportage.

“I was photographing the margins of the war but they kind of held up a picture of what war is really like.” — John G. Morris

The total running time of the evening will be 85  minutes.

Things I Heard on Wednesdays (Egypt)
Illustrated by family pictures and the personal stories of his relatives, filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky takes us on a lively journey through modern Egyptian history. This photographic documentary shows the strong bond tying human lives with the history of the nation.
Director: Abu Bakr Shawky | Duration: 9′ | Year:2012

Kiev (UA) President Yanukovych’s decision to pull out of a treaty with the EU in late November sparked anti-government protests in Kiev, Ukraine. Filmmakers Oleksandr Techynskyi and Aleksey Solodunov chronicled the increasingly tense protests on Independence Square. This is a raw account of the events on 20 and 21 February 2014. Directors: Oleksandr Techynskyi & Aleksey Solodunov | Duration: 5′ | Year: 2014

Aus Dem Auge (Germany)
An enormous concrete building constructed during the Nazi era reminds us of the architectural absurdity of national-socialism. This abandoned cathedral got lost and forgotten somewhere in a loophole of history. This cinematic and aesthetic film becomes a statement of critical analysis.
Director: Matthias Zuder | Duration: 11′ | Year: 2013

30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone) (UK)
This oil-painted animation brings to life the stories of three powerful women in postconflict Sierra Leone. Anna Cady reveals the violence and corruption these women face as they fight for fairer representation in governing their country.
Director: Anna Cady | Duration: 11’| Year: 2013

Lost on the Roof of the World (US)
The Wakhan Corridor in eastern Afghanistan is tucked between the Hindu Kush mountain range, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and China. This territory is home to the Wakhi and Kirghiz people who lead lives virtually unchanged for centuries, battling an extremely rugged environment without roads or amenities. Director: Frédéric Lagrange | Duration: 20′ | Year: 2013
Hear This! (NL) Ten-year-old Tristan loves football. His biggest wish is for his father to be his team’s coach. The club says his father would never be a good coach because he is deaf. Tristan thinks that’s nonsense. His father is a brilliant football player; he even plays for the Dutch national team for the deaf. Director: Soulaima El Khaldi | Duration: 15′ | Year: 2013

Sayadeen (UK) Forced to fish within a three mile sea frontier, the fishermen of Gaza are struggling to survive. While supplies are dwindling, they risk everything to feed their families.

Director: Murat Gökmen | Duration: 13′ | Year: 2013

Charles Glass is a veteran broadcaster, journalist and writer. His latest book Deserter explores the widely untold stories of the British and American deserters in the Second World War. He follows a group of soldiers into the heat of battle and explores what motivated them to take their fateful decision to run away.

Jake Wood is a former soldier who worked in parallel as a business analyst. In Among You he tells the story of his time serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the battle he faced upon his return when diagnosed with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Through his own experiences he examines the harsh reality of front-line combat, the courage of the troops and the devastating after-effects of service that some suffer.

They will be joining us in conversation, chaired by Frontline Club founder Vaughan Smith, to talk about their respective works and the comparisons in the trauma suffered by soldiers from World War Two to Afghanistan.