Echo Of The Pain Of The Many + Directors Q&A
Dir. Ana Lucía Cuevas and Fred Coker, Spanish w. Eng subtitles, Guatemala, 2011
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Thu 25 October 2012 // 19:30
/ Cinema
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HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN GUATEMALA IN THE 1980S
This documentary was made by Ana Lucía Cuevas, who, in 2008, discovered the truth about the “disappearance”, in 1984, of her brother who was politically opposed to the regime.
“The film documents not just one man's disappearance and murder by government forces, but brings to light some of the history of the United State's involvement in Latin America for over 36 years and the consequences for the people of Guatemala.” – THE GUARDIAN BLOG
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF NOAM CHOMSKY
This documentary is a rare document about the dictatorship in Guatemala and about the disappearances that occurred in 1984, with contributions from Prof Noam Chomsky and a National Security Analyst.
US INVOLVEMENT IN THE REPRESSION
“In the film Noam Chomsky explains how a fledgling democratic government in the ten years from 1944-54 tried to bring in basic human rights in education and labour, reforms which were labelled as 'Communist' by the US. The Eisenhower government supplied covert aid to the military to destabilise and overturn the elected government. Decades of repression followed.
Ana Lucia Cuevas (one of the directors of the film) and her family were part of a radical opposition to the longstanding military regime. As a student in the 1980s, alongside her brother, she opposed the civil war that had raged in the country, and the consequent illegal kidnapping, torture and murder of opponents to the regime. It is believed that over 150,000 people died and 45,000 people were 'disappeared.'”
+ DISCUSSION WITH THE FILMMAKERS
We are very lucky to have the filmmakers, Ana Lucía Cuevas and Fred Coker come for the night to introduce and discuss their film with the audience. This is a rare opportunity to discuss issues linked to the little-known history of Guatemala.