Q&A with Valérie Delpierre, Producer of END OF WAITING TIME

Beyond the Box Blog recently interviewed Valérie Delpierre, producer of END OF WAITING TIME, airing Sunday, September 20 at 10:00 PM on Global Voices on PBS WORLD (check local listings). The film looks at the long dictatorship of Spanish General Francisco Franco during which hundreds of people were arrested, executed or disappeared. Learn more about her interest in the topic, how audiences have been reacting to the film and more.

What has the reaction to the film been like?
Valérie Delpierre: In general, the reaction has been great. It’s strange because this documentary is being released at a time when people in Spain are very interested in this subject. Media outlets and TV programs had started to think that there was too much information on this, but the public is still reacting really well to everything that comes out about the civil war and Franco’s dictatorship. Every time a movie or a book comes out about these themes, people respond and that’s been the case with our documentary, too. At the international level the response has also been positive. Many people are surprised to see not only how cruel this period was but also to discover that until recently no one could touch this subject. It’s an open window to the most recent history in Spain, seen from the inside.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making this film?
VD: For me it’s been all about sticking with it. It was difficult to not lose concentration during all these months of work. It was not a continuous job, but we have been working together on this documentary for more than three years. Also, as a producer it was important never to lose sight of the main argument and the objectives that we had set out to achieve. We’ve been lucky because all of our collaborators and broadcast partners that joined this project really respected the work of the filmmakers. One of my greatest fears was that by having two directors, they would not be able to agree––but the truth is that they found an equilibrium and treated each other with a lot of respect.

› Continue reading

Tags: Francisco Franco, Human Rights, Spain

Watch END OF WAITING TIME on Global Voices on PBS WORLD

In 1936, General Francisco Franco lead a coup d’ etat against the Spanish Republic that gave rise to a brutal civil war. During his long dictatorship, hundreds of people were arrested, executed or disappeared. Today, family members of those who vanished have begun to look for their relatives’ remains and reflect on that dark period and its ongoing effect on their lives.

END OF WAITING TIME airs Sunday, September 20 at 10:00 PM on Global Voices on PBS WORLD (check local listings).

Tags: Francisco Franco, Human Rights, Spain

Filmmaker Profile: Antonio Perez Molero, END OF WAITING TIME

During the long dictatorship of Spanish General Francisco Franco, hundreds of people were arrested, executed or disappeared. In END OF WAITING TIME, filmmaker Antonio Perez Molero talks with the families of those who vanished and have begun to search for answers about their relatives. The film will air at 10:00 PM on September 20 on Global Voices on PBS WORLD (check local listings). Learn more about the film and the challenges he faced.

Filmmaker Antonio Perez Molero

What has the reaction to the film been like?
In general, despite the delicate subject, the documentary has been well received.

The Spanish Civil War and its aftermath is still going on 70 years after it ended. It’s a continuous cause of debate amongst the Spanish people. We can’t agree about the causes, the events or those who are responsible. Now, however, these differences, happily, are fought through talking and writing—or making films and documentaries.

Perhaps the only thing that the vast majority of Spanish people have agreed on is the right of the families of war prisoners to recuperate the remains and memories of their loved ones. That may seem obvious today, but it has required a transformation of several years for Spanish public opinion to acknowledge that the moral right of family members should prevail over the long held fear in Spain that any kind of investigation of our civil war, even with a humanitarian objective, might lead the country to open old, painful and dangerous wounds.

This is the main theme of our documentary—the family members and their struggle to recover the remains and memories of the disappeared. And in fact, the majority of the people who have seen the documentary appreciated it, independently of their political inclinations.

› Continue reading

Tags: Francisco Franco, Human Rights, Spanish Civil War