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, the military campaign was accompanied by a vast propaganda effort that centered around 26 short documentaries about American life targeted at the newly liberated populations. The “Projections of America” films 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. These gorgeously crafted films were idealized versions of what America could be, created by politically engaged filmmakers, who, while fighting tyranny abroad, also wanted to fundamentally change America itself.

This emotionally charged story is told through rare and evocative archival materials, including pristine new transfers of the propaganda films themselves, interwoven with interviews with filmmakers, audience members, and film critics.