elias film

OLGA BENARIO  -  A Life For The Revolution.

The film tells the story of Olga Benario, her life spent between Munich, Berlin, Moscow and Rio de Janeiro was truly an epic of love, revolution and death.

Olga Benario was born in Munich on February the 12th 1908. In a spectacular move, she frees her lover Otto Braun on April 11th 1928 from prison in Moabit and escapes to Moscow with him. There she learns to shoot, ride, parachute and even fly aeroplanes.

The Komintern ( Communist Internationale) gave Olga the order to accompany the Brazilian captain Luis Carlos Prestes to Brazil. They were sent there to prepare the revolution. 

From 1924 till 1927, Prestes led the famous „invincible convoy“ on a long march through Brazil, over 25 000 kilometers, always hunted by the fashist Brazilian government. 

He had become the „Knight of Hope“ for Brazils poor people.

Disguised as a rich Portugese couple, Olga and Prestes drove across Europe and arrived in Brazil via New York.

On arrival in Rio de Janeiro, the disguise as a couple had turned into reality. Olga and Prestes were lovers.

After preparing the revolt in Brazil from underground for more than one year, the upheaval started November 27th, 1935 and was crushed with a lot of bloodshed. The revolt only lasted for three hours.

They were arrested.  On September 23th 1936 the pregnant Olga was extradited to Nazi-Germany, where she gave birth to her daughter Anita on November 27th 1936. 

Anita was born in the women’s prison of Berlin. Soon after Olga was transferred to the concentration camp Lichtenburg, then Ravensbrück.

On April 1942 Olga was murdered in the gas chambers of Bernburg.

 

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