In Waiting for Anya, Jo is a 13-year-old shepherd living in a small French village during WWII. He initially becomes aware of the plight of Jewish families who are fleeing persecution and trying to cross the border into Spain, when he stumbles upon a group hiding in a nearby cave. Jo's mother, who runs a local tavern, is sympathetic to their cause and agrees to help.
The widow Horcada, who lives on the outskirts of the village, also becomes involved after one of the Jewish families seeks refuge in her barn. She has her own tragic backstory involving her husband and son, both of whom died in the Spanish Civil War. Through Jo's connections as a shepherd and Horcada's local knowledge, they start to work together to help smuggle Jewish children across the border to safety.
Their efforts are complicated by the arrival of a German officer, who takes up residence in the village along with his soldiers. The officer suspects that the locals are hiding Jews and begins to investigate. In the meantime, Jo strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young girl called Anya, who also happens to be Jewish and is in hiding with her grandmother. Together, they help to lead a series of daring rescues and escape attempts, as the Germans close in on them.
Waiting for Anya is based on a novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo, who also wrote War Horse. It stars Noah Schnapp (from Stranger Things) as Jo, Anjelica Huston as the widow Horcada, and Jean Reno as the kindly physician who provides medical assistance to the fleeing families. The film was directed by Ben Cookson and premiered in 2020.