The Missing Highlander - WWII Documentary / Coming Soon (Teaser)

[ENG] 76 years after they were written, a collection of letters from the Second World War caught the attention of French author Clément Horvath: In the summer of 1944, a British soldier mentioned his nephew Joe, posted as missing in action shortly after the D-Day landings... What had happened to him? The Frenchman embarked on a long investigation full of twists and turns, from the archives to the battlefields of the little-known and disastrous Operation Epsom. Through rare archive footage, exclusive interviews (veterans, witnesses, experts...) and re-enactment scenes, his documentary ‘‘The Missing Highlander’’ tells the story of Joe, gives an insight into the research work that led to the discovery of his fate, and pays tribute to the men and women who fell for our freedom.

About the author: Clément Horvath is a Frenchman with a great interest in the history of the Second World War, specializing in the correspondence of Allied soldiers. It all started at an early age when his father took him to the American cemetery in Colleville... Since then, he dedicated most of his time to the memory of the men and women who sacrificed everything to get rid of nazism and fascism. More than 15 years of collecting WWII memorabilia led to the publication of his first book Till Victory: The Second World War by those who were there (Pen & Sword Books, 2020), based on its French version, a bestseller awarded in January 2020 with a History Prize in the presence of HRH Caroline of Hanover and First Lady Brigitte Macron. Following the publication of a Tome 2, a series of podcasts (his interviews of British and American veterans) and several short videos on his Till Victory Youtube channel, Clément embarked in the fall of 2020 on the production of his first feature-length investigative documentary, The Missing Highlander. It was a real challenge: as a designer and videographer by trade, he opted to work on his own from writing to post-production, including camera work, sound recording and even the composition of the soundtrack... Armed with three cameras and three microphones, he traveled around Normandy in search of answers with one ambition: to release his film for the 78th anniversary of Joe’s disappearance, and honor his memory.

[FR] 76 ans après leur rédaction, un lot de lettres de la Seconde Guerre mondiale attira l’attention de l'auteur et passionné d’histoire français Clément Horvath. À l’été 1944, un soldat britannique y mentionnait son neveu Joe, disparu au combat peu après le débarquement... Que lui était-il arrivé ? L’auteur devenu réalisateur se lança dans une longue enquête pleine de rebondissements, des archives aux champs de bataille de la méconnue et désastreuse opération Epsom. À travers de rares images d’archives, d’interviews inédites (vétérans, témoins, experts...) et de scènes de reconstitution, son documentaire « The Missing Highlander » raconte l’histoire de Joe, donne un aperçu du travail de recherche qui a conduit à la découverte de son destin, et rend hommage aux hommes et femmes tombés pour notre liberté.

A propos de l'auteur : Clément Horvath est un Français passionné d’histoire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale spécialisé dans les correspondances de soldats alliés. Tout a commencé lorsque très jeune, son père l’emmena au cimetière américain de Colleville-sur-Mer. Depuis, il consacre presque tout son temps libre à la mémoire des hommes et des femmes qui ont tout sacrifié pour mettre fin au nazisme et au fascisme. Plus de 15 ans de collection de souvenirs de guerre ont mené à la publication de son premier ouvrage « TILL VICTORY : lettres de soldats alliés » (éditions Ouest-France, 2018), récompensé en janvier 2020 par le prix Histoire de la Fondation Stéphane Bern,
en présence de SAR Caroline de Hanovre et la Première Dame Brigitte Macron. Suite à la publication d’un Tome 2, d’une série de podcasts (ses interviews de vétérans anglais et américains) et plusieurs vidéos courtes sur la chaîne Youtube de Till Victory, Clément se lance à l’automne 2020 dans la réalisation de son premier long documentaire d’investigation, « The Missing Highlander ». C’est un véritable challenge : designer et vidéaste de métier, il choisit de travailler seul de l’écriture à la post-production, en passant par le cadrage, la prise son et même la composition de la bande originale... Armé de trois caméras et trois micros, il parcourt la Normandie à la recherche de réponses sur le sort de Joe avec une ambition : sortir son film pour le 78e anniversaire de sa disparition, et ainsi honorer sa mémoire.

#TheMissingHighlander #OperationEpsom #TillVictory #WWII #documentary

Written, produced, directed, shot, and edited by Clément Horvath
Duration : 70 minutes
Music written and recorded by Clément Horvath & Scott Buckley

[davidlavigne]

Clément. Merci pour votre travail formidable a propos de ca le soldat Ecossais. (Pardon pour mon Francais pauvres) Je n'ai jamais appri Francais de mon grand-mere comme Je devrais. I saw your presentation on Woody's WW2TV and so now I am watching your trailer again. I look forward to viewing the complete film in June when it is available. You are inspiring me to continue my research into "Mon Grand-Pere" Lucien LaCroix, who was lost during the raid in Granville, France on 8-9 March, 1945. He was a sailor aboard PC 564 which responded to the German raid. During the fighting he went aboard a lifeboat with 14 others when ordered to abandon ship. They were later captured, but my Pepe was shot by the Germans for some reason. At first he was reported missing, but was found dead in a lifeboat by a Royal Navy Destroyer in the channel a few days later. His name is on a memorial for the missing in the Brittany War Cemetery which I hope someday to visit (Si Dieu le veut). Bon chance with your debut on 5 June in Normandy. I will be there in spirit.

[jeffrozee]

Can't wait for the official release. Outstanding work and research Clement, well done !!

[WWTV]

I'd like you to come on to my WW2TV channel and talk about this film. Are you interested?