As one of the only Black men known to have been imprisoned at the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, the life of José Carlos Grey-Molay has, for decades, been of interest to historians of the Second World War and the Holocaust.

The historic archive contains two pictures of the young José Carlos dressed in formal-looking attire at the camp, as well as stories of a Black man from Barcelona – described as ‘not only handsome but also cultivated’ – who confused the prejudices of his Nazi captors, but little else was known about him.

In the short film below, his daughter Muriel now tells her father’s improbable life story, from his childhood in Spanish Guinea (now Equatorial Guinea), to his years as a freedom fighter in the Spanish civil war and the French resistance, to his time in Mauthausen, to his postwar years as a family man in France, when he rarely spoke of his past.

Into her narrative, the Spanish director Enric Ribes weaves recreated home movies, family snapshots and archival records, creating a deeply moving film and meaningful historical document from what is, above all else, a daughter’s love letter to her beloved late father.

Carlos José Grey Molay, also known as Carlos Greykey, was a notable figure due to his unique experiences during the Second World War.

Born on July 4, 1913, in Fernando Poo (now Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea), which was then a Spanish colony, Grey Molay later became the only known black Spanish Republican combatant to be imprisoned and survive the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.

His life story has garnered attention from historians of the Holocaust and the Second World War, as he was one of the very few black men known to have been imprisoned at the Mauthausen camp  This aspect of his life is particularly significant, as it highlights the diverse experiences and backgrounds of those who suffered under the Nazi regime.

Grey Molay’s remarkable life and experiences have been the subject of “5124.GREYKEY,” a short documentary film by Enric Ribes, which delves into his extraordinary journey and survival 

This film serves as a testament to his resilience and the broader narrative of the Holocaust, which encompassed a wide range of victims beyond the widely recognized Jewish population.

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