Under the creative direction of Jonathan Glazer, a unique and powerful document of the lives of children living in the midst of war has been created for the new War Child album HELP(2) - by handing cameras to the children themselves.

Children from several conflict zones - Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen and Sudan - were given small cameras by local War Child representatives to record their everyday lives, and show us the world from their perspective. The results has become a very moving and thought-provoking document of the lives of these and other children living in these conditions - of which War Child now estimate could be 20% of the global population of children. 

Directed by Billy Boyd Cape and edited by Thomas Grove Carter, the footage has been organised into a visual accompaniment to Olivia Rodrigo's contribution to HELP(2), her cover of The Magnetic Fields' The Book Of Love.

The album is a sequel to the original HELP album, recorded in support of War Child on a single day in 1995, under the auspices of Brian Eno; thirty years later, HELP(2) was brought to life through a close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios, recorded predominantly across one week in November 2025 under the stewardship of producer James Ford.

As with the original, HELP(2) features a stellar cast of musicians. And in addition, this project is creative directed by renowned filmmaker and Academy Award winner Jonathan Glazer, working with Academy Films, overseeing the filming and art direction for the project.

Working with his regular collaborator Mica Levi, Glazer came up with the concept “By Children, For Children”. And in addition to The Book Of Love video, children were invited into the sessions at Abbey Road Studios to film the recording of the album without restrictions. 

“We handed cameras to kids so we could see what they see - the world through their eyes," Glazer has commented. "We wanted to remove the adult hand and the adult world around them - the conflict, the injury and the war.

"What they did with the cameras was up to them, we just encouraged them to play. What we got back was the purest form of their energy, joy and truth. It gives us a chance to not only witness, but experience their innocence, joy and resilience.”

We built complex briefs, then progressively simplified them... children filming children. No adults in sight. No conflict. Only play. 

Billy Bod Cape adds: "So much of our industry is about defining the final product in the first meeting. But this was one of those rare creative endeavours where none of us knew exactly what we were making until it was finished.

"The aim of the project was to bridge the gap between the HELP(2) album and the children War Child works to support every day. It began with Glazer having one clear idea: let’s change the perspective - from observing the children to the children showing us what they observe. Flip the idea of a charity film on its head, and remove the adult hand in the process.

"As we followed that thread, the video evolved with each conversation. We worked closely with War Child, and then with different fixers and production companies in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Yemen - each working under the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

"We built complex briefs, then progressively simplified them until we found the very core of the idea: Children filming children. No adults in sight. No conflict. Only play. A journey from home, out to a place where they can feel safe and free.

"We began work on the project long before any of the album had been recorded, so we didn’t know which track the video would use. But upon hearing Olivia Rodrigo’s beautiful rendition of The Book of Love in the studio, it became clear it was the right choice for us.

"As we walked into the editing room, we had to begin the filmmaking process again - a new process of writing, discovery and refinement. Moving through hours and hours of footage to find the core of the childhood experience, and the connective tissue between these children’s lives that captures their innocence, purity, joy and resilience.

"So much footage of war makes us cover our eyes. It forces us to look away. The hope with this film is the opposite - that we look, and cannot look away. Finding so much to love, cherish and protect. No child should ever be part of war. Ever."