Podtalk: Christian Taylor on Origins for her Documentary ‘The Girl Who Wore Freedom’

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

CHICAGO – The era of World War II, now close to 80 years in the past, seems ever so farther in the rear view mirror of history. Movies have done their part to keep the memories and the spirit alive, so joining such works as “Band of Brothers” and “Saving Private Ryan” is a new documentary in development, “The Girl Who Wore Freedom,” now in pre-production by filmmakers Christian Taylor and Terry Jun of Reverse Negative Studios in Skokie, Ill.

Ms. Taylor was accompanying her military son Hunter to Normandy, France, as he participated in an anniversary event honoring D-Day, the “storming of the beach” by U.S. troops and their Allies. This battle – which began on June 6th, 1944 – was the beginning of France’s liberation from Nazi occupation, and the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe. While Taylor and her son were participating in ceremonies, she met up with Dany Patrix Boucherie, who was a little girl in France during the 1940s (pictured below in her American flag dress), and was part of the grateful citizenry who still remember the liberation. With Boucherie and her family as a guide, Taylor became fascinated with the still-apparent love and appreciation for American soldiers of that era, and the way that the French still celebrated that love. That emotional impetus spurred the idea for Taylor’s new film project, “The Girl Who Wore Freedom.”

Dani Patrix Boucherie in the 1940s, ‘The Girl Who Wore Freedom’
Photo credit: Normandy Project LLC

In the following Podtalk, Christian Taylor talks in depth on the development of her documentary, now in the pre-production and funding stage, and the connection of the U.S. and French peoples through the legacy of the World War II liberators.

By PATRICK McDONALD Writer, Editorial Coordinator HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com