Press Release From The Filmmaker!
More than 70 after the end of the world’s deadliest war, grey areas still remain; unknown facts, forgotten heroes, stories of bravery, life changing decisions, without which the fate of the World would have been different.
Hidden Side of WW2 unveils al these in 5 episodes, just recently published on VIMEO on demand: link.
The Rise Of Hitler
The film starts inside a stadium, in 1933. 150,000 people, brought here through the sheer will of a single man, together under a single banner, united by the same salute, gather to show they are ready to follow him into war, into madness. Their guide is their “führer”.
Few names resonate as strongly in contemporary history as that of Adolf Hitler. Few remain associated with such a feeling of horror. The film answers the following: how did someone coming from nowhere, managed to reach the pinnacle of power and commit the most atrocious crimes against humanity?
The Holocaust
April 1945, allies were advancing towards Berlin to cross a country flattened by bombs and met with an exhausted population. Yet they were about to discover a reality which would forever leave its mark.
On the 12th, General Eisenhower had come in person to visit the Ohrdruf concentration camp. As journalists also gathered to witness the unthinkable, the entire world beheld the proof of the worst crime against humanity.
Was this really a surprise for the Allies? Could they have been unaware that Hitler had been coordinating the extermination of Jews?
The D-Day
For the allies, it was time to free Europe by organizing the largest seaborne military operation in the history. More than 70 years after « Operation Overlord » took place, it remains one of the most heroic battle ever.
The film takes a closer look at the backstage of the entire set-up of the operation: facts on logistics, secret decisions made by leaders, stories of secret agents that led to the success of the operation.
The French Liberation
Another turning point leading to the end of the war is the liberation of France, and progress towards Germany. People mostly remember scenes of jubilation as the population was welcoming those that were to free them from years of oppression. But behind the idealized images, some dark sides remain: disorganization, severe food shortage and high level of insecurity lead to chaos in the country. The film shed the light on the corruption, black markets & political fights.
Last Secrets Of The Nazis
In November 1945, the most important court cases in history opened in Nuremberg. The indictments against the 200 high ranking German officials reflected the gravity of the atrocities committed. “Crime against humanity” was used for the first time in a court of law.
While justice have been served on 200 officials tried (37 were sentenced to death), many more should have faced justice.
The allies had compiled a list with 30,000 Nazis wanted for murder and torture. Most of them were absent from the trials…
From German countryside to South America, the film unveils the secret on cells used to ex-filtrate Nazis that benefited from the help unexpected institutions, including the Vatican.