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11/20/2005:

"Silence over Franco broken by new Spanish generation"

Spain is suffering from collective amnesia about the rule of fascist dictator General Francisco Franco, according to the makers of a controversial documentary released last week.

The film, Between The Dictator and Me, will fuel demands that something be done to compensate Franco's victims and recognise the full horrors of the 40-year regime. Almost all those who were in Spain during the regime who were interviewed in the films retreated into silence or denial. 'They are things that should not really be spoken about,' said one.

Yesterday, left and right-wing protesters marched through Madrid on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Franco's death, showing old rivalries from Spain's civil war are still deeply felt.

As a toddler, film-maker Sandra Ruesga, was taken by her parents to visit the tomb of the man whose bloody and vengeful rule still haunts Spain.

But nobody had ever spoken to her about life under the man whose regime dominated the lives of her parents and her grandparents. Like most of her generation, she had never really been taught about him. 'I inherited a falsified history imposed by silences,' says Ruesga, whose generation is now questioning the silence that has surrounded the man they call El Caudillo since his death from natural causes 30 years ago.
guardian.co.uk