They were young men, most only in their early 20s, from England and the Commonwealth, from France and Poland, World War II aviators who were shot down over the North Sea in the fight against Nazi Germany and washed up on the wide beaches of the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog, occupied by the German Wehrmacht. Sake van der Werff, der Besitzer des Hotel van der Werff, machte es sich zur Aufgabe, die Toten, ungeachtet ihrer Nationalität, auf dem „Vredenhof“, einem kleinen Friedhof in den Dünen zu bestatten, und dies mit militärischen Ehren, durch die auf der Insel stationierten deutschen Truppen. A unique act in the midst of the barbarism of World War II.

Later, Wyb-Jan Groendijk took over responsibility for the Vredenhof. Since the 1970s, he has taken care of the graves and tried to clarify the fates of the unknown dead resting here. He still searches all over the world for relatives of the fallen to give them a place to mourn. If he finds families, they send photos and information and so he learns something about the lives of the fallen. The dead are given a story.

In den Dünen is a film about a special place, an act of dignity in the chaos of war – and about respect for the dead and for life itself.

Directed by: Dagmar Brendecke
Book: Dagmar Brendecke, Walter Brun
Camera: Hartmut Schulz, Deen van der Zaken
Editor: Regina Fischer
Sound: Menno Knebel
Production-Manager: Andrea Ufer
Producer: Gunter Hanfgarn, Peter van den Dungen
Co-producer: HANFGARN & UFER
Co-production: Artia Nova, Movedmedia (Niederlande)
Broadcaster: MAX TV
Sponsored by: CoBo-Fund, Nordmedia