‘They Made You Into A Weapon And Told You To Find Peace’ is a film from Director/Writer Roxana Stroe. In an underground Aryan society lit by UV lamps, the world of Joshua is shaken when a newcomer disrupts the apparent order, challenging unspoken rules.
In a subterranean dystopian community, Aryan-looking children follow strict rules. Indoctrinated to forget their past, they prepare for adoption to new families. Joshua (9) defies norms, befriending newcomer Anna and sparking jealousy in the group. When Joshua declines a chance to be adopted in order not to leave Anna behind, his refusal triggers Phil’s rage: the eldest and leader of their group turns everyone against the two. Joshua and Anna must choose between conformity and resistance, shaping their destinies in an oppressive society.
There are so many facets of war that have been under-reported, swept under the carpet and left out of history books, in large part because we find them uncomfortable to talk about. I find this sort of taboo historical knowledge can be a way to identify menacing patterns in society and recognize early on when history might be dangerously close to repeating itself.
Drawing inspiration from World War II’s Lebensborn program, the more recent events with the Ukrainian children kidnapped by the Russian army, and my own upbringing in a socialist country, the story explores the societal structure dictated by a political system that suppresses individual freedoms.
I am interested in exploring the tension between individual versus collective identity in a group of children, between their rational and emotional responses, and morality versus immorality at a young age, as we try to understand what it takes to fight against a system that uses fear and propaganda to change them and their entire set of beliefs.
Total Length: 25 minutes
Genre: Drama/Dystopia
Director/Writer: Roxana Stroe
Producer: Louis Jousselme
Cinematographer: Antonia Schäfer
1st ACs: Nat Rowbotham
2nd ACs: Jemma Cox, James Kennedy
Loader: Jimi Wong
Production Designer: Ewan Hendry
Production Manager: Nathan Hendren
Assistant Directors: Dominic Crane, Tom McCrindle, Parvarthy Ramesh
Production Sound Mixer: Robert Kivits
1st Assistant Sound: Theo Podger
Editor: Piotr Zuchniewicz
Sound Designer/Dubbing Mixer: Levi Giger
Composer: Edoardo Vella
Colourist: Fox Bamber Barron
Online Editor: Piotr Zuchniewicz
National Film and Television School Graduation film.
Filmed in United Kingdom 2024.
Screened at BFI Southbank, London in March 2025.
