War to the Grave
The film War to the Grave is a cinematic search for the causes of the raid of 16 April 1944 in Beverwijk and Velsen-Noord. It is also a personal account by three victims of that raid — all since deceased — of how events unfolded and of the questionable role the resistance played in them. They describe the harsh journey via camp Amersfoort to the labour camps around Leipzig, their time in the camps, and the often cool reception on their return to the Netherlands. The film also examines how the camp experience marked the rest of the witnesses’ lives and those of their descendants. It is by no means a black-and-white account of this dark chapter; the whole is placed in a broad historical context. Roy Dames worked on the film for seven years.
The film is still shown regularly in secondary schools in North Holland. There is both a short and a long version.
