Poignant film of Serbian-Scots refugee is up for major award
An animated film based on the real-life story of a refugee from Serbia who found safety in Scotland after the second world war has been nominated for a charity film award.
Christian Aid’s animation, released earlier this year, tells the story of Theodor Davidovic, who arrived in Scotland in 1947 and now lives in Fife.
Theodor received life-saving support from Christian Aid and for the last 60 years has enthusiastically supported the charity, helping others in need.
Orphaned as a child and sold into domestic service, Theodore eventually joined the resistance movement to fight against Germany.
After the war, he found himself in refugee camps in Italy and Germany, but says he never forgot the Christian Aid food parcels he received.
Now 92, he married a Scots girl called Betty, had two sons and ran a successful shoe repair business in Edinburgh until his retirement aged 76.
The film Theodor: The Refugee Who Never Forgot was released earlier this year to mark Christian Aid Week’s 60th anniversary and to highlight the organisation’s long term commitment to supporting refugees.
Head of Christian Aid Scotland Sally Foster-Fulton said: “Theodor’s story is truly inspirational and it’s fantastic that the film has been nominated for an award. We would love people to take a moment, cast their vote and help us to continue to celebrate Theodor's incredible commitment to Christian Aid and to a compassionate and just future”.
The Charity Film awards aim to demonstrate that a charitable video can inspire, excite and change behaviour. The first round of judging will be decided by a public vote, ending on 15th December with finalists announced in February 2018 and the winner in March.
The film’s illustrator Karrie Fransman, who is from Edinburgh, said: “What fantastic news to hear about our nomination for the Charity Film Awards! It was an honour to be asked by Christian Aid to bring Theodor's incredible story to life.
"And it was a further honour to work on the illustrations and story alongside such a talented team: Dan Hawkin's research and project management, Adam Zygadlo's animation, Oliver Mayo's music and Richard Hughes's sound design.
"We hope we've done Theodor and Christian Aid proud.”
Vote for Theodore: The Refugee Who Never Forgot.
