Enfants placés : les sacrifiés de la République (2019)

THE DEPARTMENT is a feature documentary which takes us inside the never-before-seen child protection system at work in NSW. Filmed in an observational style, it follows caseworkers across the state as they navigate the complexities of keeping children safe in families experiencing domestic violence, addiction, poverty, mental health issues and intergenerational trauma.

"It’s not easy to find a foster family for you," an orphanage supervisor explains to nine-year-old Alicia. "After all, you are a very special girl." Alicia is crying. "I’m not special. I’m just a girl." This disturbing scene sets the tone for this film about Alicia, who was taken away from her teenage mother by the Child Welfare Bureau when she was 12 months old. She’s been living in an orphanage since the age of five, and they have never managed to find a foster family for her. In Alicia, we watch as she becomes a teenager, still craving safety and love. Over the course of three years, filmmaker Maasja Ooms follows her daily life up close. Alicia's yearning and powerlessness are palpable in these observations, which painfully reveal the effects of having no prospects.

A direct, uncompromising look into the complex machinery of Quebec’s youth protection services (known as the DPJ). https://lustitia.com/en/productions/dpj/

Ангелина живет в огромном портовом городе на теплом море русского Дальнего Востока. На южных улицах ночью и днем молодые, красивые, энергичные мужчины и женщины заняты одной заботой: знакомиться, флиртовать, влюбляться. Геля же — милая, красивая, интеллигентная девушка — совершенно одинока. Она не обращала внимания на свое одиночество, питая сердце теплом от своей работы — по работе Ангелина много общается с трудными детьми, старается быть с ними ласковой, нежной, родной, и упивается их восхищением. Но однажды маленький мальчик-подопечный простодушно рассказывает Геле, что она — одинокая старая дура. Это момент истины для героини, слова мальчика — словно вызов для нее, и она решает стать другой. Решает порвать со своим одиночеством…

Barbara was caring for her grandchildren when her granddaughter Tiara was taken from school by welfare workers. Barbara fought for the next seven months to have her returned and finally won but the consequences of the removal on the family will never go away.