HGTC Associate Professor’s Film Selected for Great Lakes International Film Festival
HGTC proudly supports Dr. Mara Lencina during documentary film screening.
Horry–Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) is proud to announce that Stolen Babies of Spain, a new documentary film presented by ValMar Films, and whose executive producer is
HGTC’s very own Dr. Maravillas “Mara” Lencina, has been selected to be screened at
the Great Lakes International Film Festival September 19-28. Receiving several thousand entries from around the globe, this
is a very humbling and honorable moment for Dr. Lencina who just started as an associate
professor at HGTC this fall.
“It is a great honor to be selected from thousands of entries around the globe for consideration as best full-length documentary feature film,” said Dr. Lencina.
The documentary film, Stolen Babies of Spain, chronicles the horrific stealing of babies for political, eugenic, and profiteering reasons way back to 1939 at the end of the Spanish Civil War and continues to present day. With estimates of over 300,000 babies stolen over decades, victims and their families continue to press for truth and search for justice despite overwhelming odds and governmental resistance.
The film, inspired by Professor Lencina’s doctoral dissertation research, is primarily based on over three years of interviews she personally conducted with victims and their families. The documentary includes behind-the-scenes footage of victims as they hold rallies, conduct exhumations, provide testimonies, and share their own tragic stories of betrayal by trusted doctors, nurses, priests, and even judges. The filmmakers were also able to obtain special access to film of the only trial, held so far, of a doctor accused of stealing thousands of babies over five decades.
A native of Spain, this is an especially personal and powerful topic for Dr. Lencina as several of her family members fought against Dictator Franco during the Civil War. She says she was truly shocked when she started to uncover just how many of her fellow Spaniards were violated over the years and how the conspiracy to keep the truth hidden continues-even today. The film is also a true family project as she and her husband Greg, the film’s director, co-founded ValMar Films and their son Valentin, the film’s chief editor, all worked for over two years on the film along with their cinematography team.
“I am very excited about the film being screened at the Great Lakes International Film Festival,” continued Dr. Lencina. “It is my hope that everyone will go online to the festival's website where fans can view an online screening of the film and cast their votes for Stolen Babies of Spain as their favorite feature documentary film!”
Dr. Lencina is excited to be one of the newest members of the growing HGTC family. She and her family love the area and look forward to getting to know HGTC and the Palmetto State.
“The sense of community, commitment to the development, nurturing of its students and collegiality are just some of the important reasons which led me to join HGTC,” she explained. “I was very impressed with the professionalism throughout the interview process. Everyone has really taken the time to make me feel welcome and part of the team.”
For more information about the film or ValMar Films and how you can help fight for the justice of Spain’s stolen babies, please visit www.stolenbabiesofspain.com or www.facebook.com/stolenbabiesofspain.