Britta Lion-Franz and her sister Marianne Lion grew up Jewish in Aachen, Germany. In 1937, when the two were 9 and 12, the sisters and their parents were forced to flee to the US. Their father, Curt Lion, owned an elegant fashion store in Aachen, which was acquired by director Walter Wehmeyer’s grandfather before they fled. How did the transaction take place? Did the Lion family ever receive compensation? Were the two businessmen able to avoid the “Nazi-ization” and confiscation of all Jewish property? Wehmeyer tells this fascinating tale using archival records, letters, and photographs. He discovers Britta in American, long residing in Salem, Oregon. The Lion family’s tale would remain untold were it not for an inquisitive filmmaker in search of his own family history.
