Does anyone remember this movie? I could swear that it was part of the CCFF. It was about a group of Jewish children at a school being protected from the Nazis. I seem to remember a scene at the end where the children are boarding a train, and had the stars removed from their sleeves. Someone comments that they look like a "field of buttercups." Along with "Hand in Hand" and "John and Julie" this movie made the most lasting impression on me. Thanks for any insights.
This wasn't part of the Festival, but it is possible you saw a short film called "A Field of Buttercups". Here is a description I discovered:
A FIELD OF BUTTERCUPS - 30 Minutes
"The moving story of Dr. Janus Korczak’s devotion to his “Our Home,” an orphanage for Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghetto, during the time of the Holocaust. Based on the book by Joseph Hyams, the film portrays how Dr. Korczak chooses to remain with his 299 orphans who are marked for extermination by the Nazis, although he himself has an opportunity to leave in safety."
http://www.aldenfilms.com/holocaust.html
There is a quote from Mr. Hyams book that matches the one you related almost exactly, so I am fairly sure this is the film.
By the way, I also highly recommend the Polish film "Korczak" (1990), which is a feature length adaptation of this story.