The Spanish soldiers who liberated Paris before anyone remembers their names.
The story of the Spanish Republicans of La Nueve, the 9th Company of the Régiment de marche du Tchad, part of the French 2nd Armored Division, known as Leclerc Division, whose troops were the first who entered Nazi-occupied Paris on August 24, 1944.
Direction
Marquardt lets the survivors speak, no Hollywood filter needed.
Production
Rare archival footage of Spanish Republicans in French uniform.
Writing
Narration that knows when to shut up and let silence work.
Director
Alberto Marquardt
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Franco's Spain suppressed this story entirely; these men were officially 'enemies of the state' even as they freed Paris. The documentary premiered at a time when Spain's Historical Memory Law was finally cracking open the silence.
Most La Nueve veterans had survived Nazi concentration camps after fleeing Spain, making their arrival in Paris a personal vengeance as much as military duty. The film's oldest interviewee was 94 and sharp as hell.
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