The Next Morning

The Next Morning is a short film by Olivier Award-winning writer James Graham, commissioned to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Directed by Alice Wordsworth and produced by Emma Hall, this original film confronts the lingering echoes of war through the eyes of two generations, asking what the end of the Second World War means in a world shaped by its aftermath.

Set in contemporary Britain, the film interweaves three stories of children uncovering personal reflections from the day peace was declared in Europe in 1945.

As a wartime time capsule is uncovered in an allotment, a granddaughter discovers a diary in the attic, and a grandson reads an unsent letter to a father lost in the war, memories of VE Day resonate with new meaning. A new generation listens, reads, and remembers as the echoes of history come alive through diaries, keepsakes, and family stories — culminating in a new time capsule buried for the future.

Combining archival footage with deeply personal monologues, the film is a celebration of remembrance, resilience, and renewal — reminding us that peace is a legacy we must choose to carry forward.