MEI 1940 - HERINNERINGEN AAN VUUR                                                            

A documentary by Heddy Honigmann

Rotterdam has suffered a lot during World War Two. After the German invasion, the immense bombing on May 14th 1940 destroyed a big part of the city-center and killed over 800 civilians. 

The Rotterdam-bombing forms the background of this documentary. A couple of survivors tell their stories in front of our cameras.

These people memorize personal details of this bombardment. They don't tell the story in the way historybooks report on history, but in their own personal way.

How were the days before the bombing and how did the bombardment change the narrators life? The emphasis is not on presenting historical facts, but on how these facts have been experienced by people who've had to live through this history. Personal memories form the basis. These are often shocking memories, memories of burning houses, heat, debris, uproar, ashes and dust. Stories of fear, stories of loss. But also stories of joy, because you're still alive, because you could reach the right cellar, because you found your brother after a couple of days, or maybe because you managed to save your dog.

Commissioned by L1, Omroep Brabant, Omroep Flevoland, Omrop Fryslân, Omroep Gelderland, Omroep West, RTV Rijnmond and RTV Utrecht, produced in co-production with NTR, and supported by the Dutch Cultural Media Fund

Broadcast Nederland 2 (NTR):   monday April 29th 2013 23:00