he first Spanish-language production in nearly 17 years from Oscar-winning writer/director Alejandro Amenábar (The Sea Inside, The Others, Agora), While at War is a powerful and hugely resonant historical drama set in the first months of the Spanish Civil War, depicting how the country inexorably slid into nearly four decades of fascism under dictator Francisco Franco.
It’s July, 1936. Nationalist forces take to the streets of Salamanca, challenging the authority of the democratically elected Second Spanish Republic. But the esteemed professor Miguel de Unamuno (Karra Elejalde, Operation Goldenshell SFF18, Spanish Affair SFF15) pays the uprising little mind: for all his wisdom and experience, he doesn’t believe his country is under imminent threat. It’s not until his colleagues are rounded up that Miguel begins to reconsider his principles, hoping he can exert his influence to bring reason before it’s too late…