The Basque Swastika
Shortly after the start of World War II, the Germans defeated France and advanced as far as the Bidasoa River. While Europe was trembling as in the wake of the German army, Adolf Hitler decided to establish a resort in the Basque Country for the soldiers of the Third Reich and. By doing so, he showed the locals that there was another side to the Germans. The army was made up of constantly smiling young men with impeccable manners who treated the residents of Basque towns well. The mysterious origin of the Basques aroused interest among German filmmakers, including Herbert Brieger, who directed the only surviving film about the Basque Country from the World War II period. That film was the subject of an investigation conducted by the protagonists of The Basque Swastika. Using interviews and extensive archival footage, the filmmakers attempt not only to learn more about the culture of the region but, more than anything, to show its fate during the Nazi occupation.
Sławomir Wasiński
Alfonso Andrés
Alfonso Andrés was born in 1973 in Errenteria. He began his career making commercials. Since 2007, he has been working at Esrec Produkzioak as a director, screenwriter, and editor for television, advertisers, and film studios.
Filmography
2010 La joya del Cantábrico (doc.)
2010 La ciudad de los caballos (doc.)
2013 Baskijska swastyka / Una esvástica sobre el Bidasoa / The Basque Swastika (doc.)
Javier Barajas
Javier Barajas has worked as an editor for publishing houses, magazines, and catalogs, as a film editor for several television stations, and as a screenwriter for documentary films. An associate of Alfonso Andrés, he wrote two screenplays for films that Andrés directed in 2010.
Filmography
2013 Baskijska swastyka / Una esvástica sobre el Bidasoa / The Basque Swastika (doc.)