Apr 14 2006
Anniversary of Spanish Civil War
GUESTS: CM Hardt, film maker, whose family is from Spain, Prof Paul Preston, author of the forth coming book, “The Spanish Holocaust,” an eminent historian on General Franco
In 1936, General Franco began his revolt against the democratically elected Socialist Popular Front government of Spain. In the ensuing Spanish Civil War hundreds of thousands of people perished. After General Franco’s forces prevailed, thousands more were disappeared and tortured during his forty year long dictatorship. This year marks seventy years since the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. In the wake of the anniversary, a recent Amnesty International report claims that the current Spanish government is not doing enough to address the victims of the Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship. The report urged the government to open archives, and investigate mass graves. Also to be released this year is a new documentary, “Death in El Valle,†produced and directed by C.M. Hardt. The documentary seeks to raise awareness about Franco’s crimes by investigating the political murder of Hardt’s grandfather during the Franco dictatorship. C.M. Hardt is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles.
Death in El Valle DVD Release / Website Launch Screening & Reception
UCLA Royce Hall 314 & 306 2 review(s), UCLA CAMPUS, Los Angeles, CA, on Wednesday, April 19, 7:00pm to 9:30pm. For more information, call (310) 825-4401 or 310 403 4772. Or visit www.deathinelvalle.com.
Click here to view Amnesty International’s petition.
Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day:
An Excerpt from Pablo Neruda’s poem, “I’m Explaining a Few Things
Treacherous generals:
see my dead house,
look at broken Spain :
from every house burning metal flows
instead of flowers,
from every socket of Spain
Spain emerges
and from every dead child a rifle with eyes,
and from every crime bullets are born
which will one day find
the bull’s eye of your hearts.
2 Responses to “Anniversary of Spanish Civil War”
Excellent topic. CM’s film is fascinating and timely! Thanks for putting her on the air. More people need to know about this part of Spanish history!
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Ms. Hardt’s film is so much more than historically important – it’s incredibly dramatic and thrilling. I was so moved and blown away by it. She’s a very brave woman and passionate activist with a brilliant filmmaker’s/storyteller’s sensibility. I highly recommend listeners attend her screening on the 19th at UCLA.