Life Papers
In today’s prevailing psychological state of intolerance and discrimination, “Life
Papers” is a sobering reminder of times in recent history when extreme ideology
has engendered tragic consequences for humanity.
The movie tells the story of Colonel Arturo Castellanos, General Consul of the
Republic of El Salvador in Geneva, Switzerland, during World War II. Between
1942 and 1945, Colonel Castellanos issued over thirteen thousand diplomatic
documents granting Salvadoran Citizenship to Jewish families fleeing
prosecution by the Nazis in Europe.
The “Life papers”, as they were known at the time, saved an estimated 40,000
Jews from extermination in the Nazi’s death camps. The documents were issued
without financial compensation, against the express orders of Col. Castellanos
superiors.
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