June 1940 — a refugee crisis of historic proportions. Paris is occupied. Millions of refugees fleeing the advancing Nazi troops rush to Bordeaux, in the South of France. A veritable sea of humanity comes seeking passage to England, Spain, Portugal, and, by these routes, to America.An anxious crowd surrounds the Consulate of Portugal, an officially ‘neutral’ nation. The Portuguese Consul is a man named Aristides de Sousa Mendes. But Portugal’s Prime Minister Salazar has forbidden its diplomats to open Portugal’s borders to ‘undesirables’ –specifically Jews, refugees from occupied countries, and ‘stateless’ persons.

The Consul, plunged into a moral crisis, takes to his bed for three days. Should he disobey, and thus jeopardize his career and the safety of his family? When he emerges from his room his hair has turned white. But his face is calm as he announces his decision: he will issue visas to anyone who asks!

Sousa Mendes mobilizes the last few people remaining at the consulate to prepare visas night and day, signing thousands of passports. Pursued by the secret police, he continues to aid refugees at the Spanish border. It is estimated that he granted visas to as many as 30,000 people, 10,000 of them Jews.

He is recalled to Lisbon, and punished for his disobedience. After the war, he dies in poverty and disgrace.

This remarkable true story has been described by historians as ‘the largest rescue action by a single individual during the Holocaust.’

Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Consul of Bordeaux…

Production

• Joël Santoni – Director
• Martine Chicot – Producer
• Patrick Betaillole – 2nd Assistant Director
• Jean-Marc Abbou – Production Manager
• Philippe Le Franc – Production Manager

Writing

• Martine Chicot – Writer
• Jean-Carol Larrivé – Co-Writer; Adaptation
• José-Alain Fralon – Co-Writer; Adaptation; Author of Adapted Material
• Joël Santoni – Adaptation; Co-Writer

Cast

• Bernard Le Coq – Aristides de Sousa Mendes / César de Sousa Mendes
• Nanou Garcia – Angelina de Sousa Mendes
• Lionel Lingelser – Pedro Nuno de Sousa Mendes
• Roger Souza – Seabra
• Frédéric Quiring – Rabbi Kruger
• Émilie Scarlett Moget – Andrée Cibial
• Paulo Matos – Salazar
• Jean-Claude Dauphin – Narrator
• Frédéric Kneip – Pesao
• Théodora Mytakis – Miny
• Christian Loustau – Neira Laporte
• Pascal Aubert – cafe patron
• Frédéric Bouchet – Faria Machado
• Alain Raymond – Count Tovar
• Jack Delbalat – Maurice Rothschild
• Stéphane Alvarez – Otto de Habsbourg
• Amandine Petit-Brisson – Isabelle de Sousa Mendes
• Gauthier Battoue – Sebastian de Sousa Mendes
• Jean Grigon – Luis Felipe de Sousa Mendes
• Octave Pineau – John Paul de Sousa Mendes
• Juliette Belliard – Joana de Sousa Mendes
• Salomé Ferran – Teresinha de Sousa Mendes
• Océane Anadon – Sarah Kruger
• Jeanne Maingot – Esther Kruger
• Iris Jacques – Alice Kruger
• Léna Ferran – Rebecca Kruger
• Jean-François Toulouse – Francisco Brito
• Jean-Marc Cochery – Mosco Galimir

Crew

• Jean-Francis Gondre – Cinematographer/Director of Photography
• François Azria – 2nd Unit Director of Photography
• Eric Le Roux – Camera Operator
• Prune Brenguier – Assistant Camera
• Gérald Faure – Key Grip
• Fabrice Hazera – Grip
• Jérôme Meynardies – Grip
• Lionel Alletru – Grip
• François Coignard – Gaffer
• Thomas Pietrucci – Sound Mixer
• Yannick Blanquet – Boom Operator
• Laurence Brenguier – Production Designer
• Agnès Nègre – Costume Designer
• Agnès Evein – Costumer
• Richard Garutti – Costumer
• Samy Douib – Costumer
• Diane Duchesne – Makeup Artist
• Marie-Hélène Gautier – Makeup Artist
• Jean-Charles Bachelier – Hairstylist
• Eric Bonnay – Property Master
• Robert Le Corre – Set Decorator
• Nicole Saunier – Editor
• Elodie Mittet – Assistant Editor
• Jeanne Oberson – Assistant Editor
• David Goldenberg – Sound Editor
• Serge Franklin – Original Music/Composer

For distribution in North America contact:

Sousa Mendes Foundation
PO Box 4065
Huntington, NY 11743
USA
info@sousamendesfoundation.org
877-797-9759

For distribution in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America contact:
Panama Productions
144 bis, rue du Chemin Vert
75011 Paris
France
contact@panamaproductions.fr
+33 1 48 06 25 21