Bones of Contention (2017)

There are 120,000 vic ms of Franco’s regime bur- ied in the unmarked mass graves that stretch for kilometres alongside Spain’s country roads. One of these vic ms is the world renowned Spanish author Federico García Lorca, who was shot and killed by the fascists during the early days of the Spanish Civil War. The mystery that surrounds the exact loca on of his remains has made him a symbol for those seeking to remember and disclose the hidden stories of gays and lesbians under Franco, people who con nued to be subjected to violent repres- sion long a er the end of the dictatorship. Spain is today one of the most progressive countries when it comes to homosexuality, and yet the na on s ll refuses to account comprehensively for its dark past before a court of law. Andrea Weiss’ sensi ve lm gives a voice to the vic ms from the LGBTIQ* community. Her documentary tells their stories and their struggle for clari ca on, jus ce and human rights as well as their con nued e orts to provide those who were murdered and ‘disappeared’ with a digni ed burial. Impressive archive material doc- uments this repressed history which nds a painful echo in Lorca’s poetry and music.