During the darkest hour of World War II, a team of idealistic filmmakers hoped the power of the movies could reshape the world. As Allied forces liberated Western Europe, their military campaign was accompanied by a vast propaganda effort that centered around 26 short documentaries about American life targeted at the newly liberated populations. PROJECTIONS OF AMERICA: MOVIES IN WARTIME is an engaging documentary that weaves interviews with filmmakers, audience members, and film critics with excerpts from a number of the "Projections of America" films. These theatrical shorts presented American stories of cowboys and oilmen, farmers and window washers, immigrants and school children - capturing both the optimism and the messiness of American democracy.
