"Tambourine"

"Tambourine" is dedicated to the good, brave people of Spain who provided refuge to Gypsies and Jews fleeing the Vichy French.

This is a story of courage and hope in the face of unrelenting danger. It is a story of ingenuity and strength, and the human capacity for survival. Anna and her Gypsy family are in constant risk of their lives as they attempt to reach Spain and find refuge there from the Nazis and Vichy French. The hatred of Gypsies and Jews that is perpetrated by the Vichy allies of Hitler is shared by many Frenchman who are ready to turn them over to the authorities.

“Tambourine” is as much a psychological adventure as it is a war story. Through fear, courage, violence, guilt, incredible passion, and unceasing emotional pressures the characters must struggle with how to interact with each other while at the same time struggling to survive.

Yet through all their travails the family finds help from unexpected sources – partisan fighters who protect them and welcome them as fellow fighters, Catholic priests who are willing to risk their lives to give them shelter, and simple French families ready to give what help they can. In this “Tambourine” is an affirmation of the basic decency that is at the core of our humanity and a rejection of ethnic hatred.