play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
1
CROWD-FUNDING CAMPAIGN
2012 | 110 min | Germany, Spain | HD
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
2
INTRODUCTION This is a documentary film about a small Spanish village that keeps paying tribute to its creator Francisco Franco, one of the cruelest Fascist dictators of the 20th century. Franco's Settlers makes an entire country look at itself in the mirror. DESCRIPTION Somewhere on the high planes of La Mancha resides a village that carries the name of its creator. “Llanos del Caudillo” (The High Plains of the Caudillo) is one of over 300 settlement villages that were built by Franco. The goal was to create “the new fascist man, anti urban, anti working class, who is tied to his land and devoted to the regime. A regime he owes everything to: House, land and work..., everything under the control of the party“.
In 2008 the filmmakers visit the village for 6 weeks and shoot long and intense conversations with three generations of settlers of this particular village (including the first fascist mayor, the first priest and the first agronomist), some experts and historians and the politicians Felipe González (former prime minister of Spain) and José Utrera Molina (former minister under Franco). We have attempted to assemble a great variety of opinion. Our perspective was drawn towards a different, or better said, more precise direction when during the shooting we became witnesses of a fabulous discovery: Dozens of boxes, containing valuable documents regarding the foundation of the village in 1955 had been saved from being literally burnt. The current mayor of Llanos explains in the film the importance of these documents and that they contain “the (hi)story of a village without (hi)story”.
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
3
What starts as the revelation of one of the unknown chapters within Spanish history ends up as a mirror of present day Spanish society. A present that suspends judge Baltasar Garzón who attempted to investigate the atrocities committed during the dictatorship and at the same time commemorates a fascist for his services towards the ideals of the “National Movement”. Franco’s Settlers is a review of the legacy and prevalence, apparent or hidden, of Francisco Franco's legacy, a glance at the past in order to find the key to the present and to understand a world where the figure of the dictator persists, even today.
After three years of organizing, previewing and editing the film in 2011 we were able to show a 115 min rough cut during an unofficial screening at Goethe-‐Institute Madrid. The reaction towards the film was more than positive and it felt like the confirmation that this film should be seen by a large audience. THE PROTAGONISTS Among the protagonists there are the former prime minister of Spain, Felipe González and the former fascist minister under Franco, José Utrera Molina, the lawyer Francisco Goberna, the inhabitants of the village “Llanos del Caudillo”, Santiago Sánchez, Juan Aranda, Eugenio Bascuñana, Wenceslao Chamero, Ana Romano, Antonio Rubio and Joaquín Romano, and the experts and historians Cristóbal Gómez, Isidro Sánchez and Esther Almarcha. THE TEAM The team is formed by Spaniard Lucía Palacios and German Dietmar Post. Both have been in charge of the investigation, development, production, direction and post production of the film. The filmmakers got to know each other during a film course at NYU in New York in the mid 90s and started working together on short films, commercials and thereafter on numerous documentary films. Our 2008 film “Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback” won the most prestigious German TV award (comparable to the Oscar or Goya). The German media recently called us the “the German counterpart to the American Direct Cinema directors D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
4
The idea for Franco’s Settlers was born in 1999. Good documentary films sometimes need time. Famous Spanish actor Juan Diego Botto recorded the narrator’s voice for the film. Juan Diego Botto from the beginning on has been very supportive of this project.
As with our previous film posters German shooting star painter Daniel Richter created the 4 motifs of dictator Franco in the political style of Dada.
FINANCING The financing of this highly political film has been very difficult from the beginning. So far the following organizations have supported us: 1. Media Programme -‐ Brussels 2. Junta de Comunidades of Castile-‐La Mancha 3. University of Castile-‐La Mancha, Centro de Estudios in Ciudad Real 4. Nipkow Programm in Berlín 5. Ministry of Agriculture in Madrid Thanks to these backers we have achieved the sum of 50,000 €. Our own private investment is tough to name but we invested at least another 150,000 € of our own money in the project. With the 200,000 € in total we were able to cover the costs for the investigation, development, production and part of the post production. The money we are lacking, approximately another 50,000 Euros, will be directed towards the following:
-‐ color corrections -‐ sound mix -‐ creation of a master -‐ subtitling -‐ acquisition of archival and musical rights -‐ design of a movie web page -‐ promotion -‐ organization of projections and round tables
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
5
WHAT YOUR CONTRIBUTION CAN DO The necessary sum to achieve the above would be 50,000 €. With your support through the platform Lanzanos we hope to collect in a first step 10,000 €. The missing amount we would like to receive from different associations and universities plus through another private investment by the filmmakers themselves. Your help is essential to be able to complete this film that started in 1999. Without your support we won’t be able to achieve that final goal. We urge you to not stop supporting the film once we have reached the first goal of 10,000 €. Don’t stop at that point. Keep going until we reach the 50,000 €. WHY SHOULD YOU SUPPORT THIS PROJECT Maybe Sergi Doledé, director of the MEDIMED DocsMarket, best expresses why this historic film is a relevant contribution: “Last night I watched Franco’s Settlers and I have to congratulate you on a rigorous and emotional film, not only because of the story but also because of how this story is told. In Spain this revision of history never has been made and like someone states in the movie “maybe it is already too late”. Even if some people might think that, I believe it is never too late to revise history. It is you as filmmakers who do it from the ground up, from life itself, from reality. What happens here is that this place called Spain we as people keep ignoring what really occurred. And that is the best achievement of the film how you unveil this ignorance, an ignorance we Spaniards have fully accepted and take for granted. You unveil the big truth! Spanish public TV has to broadcast this film so that people know about it. And the film should be nominated for a GOYA (Spain’s Oscar).” CATEGORY Documentary film AMOUNT OF MONEY WE ARE ASKING FOR 10,000 € (in a first step. We do need 50,000 € in total) DURATION OF THE CAMPAIGN 90 days (April 13th – July 12th, 2012)
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
6
PLEDGES
PLEDGE €5 OR MORE With your support you will help to clarify an unknown chapter within Spanish history and to defend democratic values. And of course you will receive our sincere gratitude. PLEDGE €12 OR MORE You will receive an online credit. And, if you wish, you can choose from one of the following 7” vinyl records: 1) Faust: So Far, It’s a bit of pain (re-‐issue of 1972 single) 2) Monks: Complication, Oh-‐how to do now (re-‐issue of 1966 single) 3) Gossip/Raincoats cover the Monks: Drunken Maria, Monk Chant (recorded in 2006) Please indicate if you really wish to receive a 7” single and which one. International shipping is included. PLEDGE €15 OR MORE You will receive an online credit. And you can choose from one of the following documentary films (all DVDs in English with German and Spanish subtitles) or CDs: 1) Reverend Billy & The Church of Stop Shopping (DVD) 2) Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback (DVD) 3) Klangbad: Avant-‐garde in the Meadows / Faust live (DVD) 4) Monks: Demo Tapes 1965 (CD) 5) Silver Monk Time -‐ A Tribute to the Monks (double CD) Please indicate if you really wish to receive a DVD or CD and which. International shipping is included.
PLEDGE €25 OR MORE You will receive an online credit + one T-‐shirt (sizes are S, M, L, XL) with one of the 4 Franco motifs by German painter Daniel Richter. Or a T-‐shirt with the graffiti “Franco: El asesino del pueblo español” (Franco: Murderer of the Spanish people).
1 2 3 4 5 PLEDGE €50 OR MORE You will receive an online credit + two T-‐shirts (you choose 2 out of 5 motifs). PLEDGE €75 OR MORE You will receive an online credit + three T-‐shirts (you choose 3 out of 5 motifs).
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
7
PLEDGE €100 OR MORE You will receive a credit in the film (not only online) + all five T-‐shirts. PLEDGE €300 OR MORE You will receive a supporter credit in the film + one luxury silk screen print (100 x 140 cm, 50 numbered copies limited edition, only available during the campaign) of one of the four original motifs designed and hand signed by Daniel Richter. PLEDGE €550 OR MORE You will receive a supporter credit in the film + two luxury silk screen prints (100 x 140 cm, 50 numbered copies limited edition, only available during the campaign) of the four original motifs designed and hand signed by Daniel Richter. PLEDGE €750 OR MORE You will receive a supporter credit in the film and in all promotional materials + three luxury silk screen prints (100 x 140 cm, 50 numbered copies limited edition, only available during the campaign) of the four original motifs designed and hand signed by Daniel Richter. PLEDGE €1,000 OR MORE You will receive a supporter credit in the film and in all promotional materials + four luxury silk screen prints (100 x 140 cm, 50 numbered copies limited edition, only available during the campaign) of the four original motifs designed and hand signed by Daniel Richter. PLEDGE €3,000 OR MORE You will receive an associate producer credit in the film and in all promotional materials + four luxury silk screen prints (100 x 140 cm, 50 numbered copies limited edition, only available during the campaign) of the four original motifs designed and hand signed by Daniel Richter. PLEDGE €5,000 OR MORE You will receive a co-‐producer credit in the film and in all promotional materials + four luxury silk screen prints (100 x 140 cm, 50 numbered copies limited edition, only available during the campaign) of the four original motifs designed and hand signed by Daniel Richter. PLEDGES are also welcome if you don’t choose any of the gifts connected to it. Do not forget that creating the gifts entails lots of work and creates costs as well. Please indicate clearly whether you wish to receive the gifts, which product, which T-‐shirt size, which motif. http://www.lanzanos.com/proyectos/loscolonosdelcaudillo/eng/ www.playloud.org/francossettlers.html www.facebook.com/loscolonosdelcaudillo
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
8
Propaganda film by the National Settlement Institute, whose goal it was „to create the new fascist mankind“.
Settlers arriving in the mid 50s at their new home.
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
9
Llanos del Caudillo (The Highplains of the Fuehrer) – aerial shot from 1956
A symbiotic marriage at the village’s schoolhouse -‐ Caudillo Franco and the Catholic Church.
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
10
Santiago Sánchez (mayor of Llanos del Caudillo): „These documents demonstrate the entire (hi)story of a village without (hi)story“.
Santiago Sánchez (mayor of Llanos del Caudillo) advocates for a name change of the village.
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
11
Wenceslao Chamero (settler pioneer): „Franco should have lived another 100 years“.
Antonio Rubio (former school teacher): „Words have a meaning and therefore a community cannot be named after a dictator“.
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
12
Felipe González (Spanish prime minister between 1982-‐1996): “It seems like it was never the right moment to talk about the dictatorship”.
José Utrera Molina (minister under Franco und member of the fascist organization Falange): „Franco never has been a dictator.“
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
13
First mass demonstration against Franco and in defense of judge Baltasar Garzón on April 24th, 2010. „Never again“.
First mass demonstration against Franco and in defense of judge Baltasar Garzón on April 24th, 2010. „Trophy Garzón: Justice 0, Falange 1“.
play loud! productions gubener strasse 23 | 10243 berlin, germany t: +49 30 2977 9315 | f: +49 30 2977 9316
[email protected] | www.playloud.org
14
Exactly the same day the fascist organization Falange rallies against judge Garzón. Falangists/Fascists threaten the filmmakers.
Exactly the same day the fascist organization Falange rallies against judge Garzón.
