As Election Season approaches in the US, we are releasing three new titles that explore the complexities of electoral systems, authoritarian regimes, and the global quest for democratic governance. 

A tour de force of political filmmaking, The Trial unfolds as a chilling thriller, serving as a haunting record of the first major prosecution of crimes against humanity since the Nuremberg Trials. The newly restored classic Fidel recounts a journey nine years after the Cuban Revolution when Castro took filmmaker and activist Saul Landau on a rare weeklong jeep ride through the eastern mountains. Finally, Bastard. The Legacy of Pinochet’s Genocide follows director Navarrete Rovano as he sets to repair the broken legacy he has inherited from his estranged father, a former head of Chilean police intelligence notorious for human rights abuses.

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THE TRIAL / ULISES DE LA ORDEN / ARGENTINA, FRANCE, ITALY, NORWAY / 2023 / 177 MIN
FILMMAKER AVAILABLE FOR Q&A

The landmark trial dissected in the Oscar-nominated film Argentina 1985 is revisited here through the original courtroom recordings that continue to resonate in the collective memory of the Argentine people.

Over a 90-day historical process, Argentina held to account the criminals behind one of Latin America’s bloodiest dictatorships, led by military leader Jorge Rafael Videla.

Director Ulises de la Orden masterfully shapes a gripping docuthriller from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, offering an impeccable lesson in historical justice.

NEW YORK TIMES’ CRITIC’S PICK: “A necessary act of memory.“– Nicolas Rapold

Related studies: Bullying + Violence, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, International Politics, Modern History, Sociology

DSL LICENCES

STREAMING LICENSES COMING SOON

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FIDEL / SAUL LANDAU / USA / 1969 / 96 MIN
NEWLY REMASTERED CLASSIC!

In May 1968, just nine years after the Cuban Revolution, filmmaker Saul Landau received an invitation to join Fidel Castro in Cuba for a rare, in-depth interview. For a week, Landau traveled with Castro through Cuba’s rugged mountains, capturing intimate moments—from military camps to a pickup baseball game and Castro’s speech on the 15th anniversary of his Moncada attack. His footage offered a rare glimpse into the bond between the Cuban people and their leader during a time of internal transformation and international hostility.

Related studies: Bullying + Violence, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, International Politics, Modern History, Sociology

DSL LICENSES

STREAMING LICENSES COMING SOON

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BASTARD. THE LEGACY OF PINOCHET’S GENOCIDE / JOSÉ LUIS NAVARRETE ROVANO / CHILE, ITALY, SWEDEN / 2023 / 83 MIN
FILMMAKER AVAILABLE FOR Q&A

At 35, director Navarrete Rovano, who had grown up fatherless and labeled a “bastard,” discovered his father was Colonel Rodrigo Retamal, a notorious Chilean police chief involved in human rights abuses. This revelation sparked a 13-year journey to confront his father and meet the families torn apart by the regime’s brutality. On the way, Navarrete Rovano became a key figure in the movement to challenge Chile’s long-standing impunity, shedding light on the post-dictatorship patriarchy and the collective responsibility for its violent legacy. The film explores how acknowledging this history is crucial for building a sustainable and equitable future for all.

Related studies: Bullying + Violence, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, International Politics, Modern History, Sociology

DSL LICENSES

STREAMING LICENSE COMING SOON

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Other Titles for Election Season

Heberto Padilla’s arrest on charges of endangering the security of the Cuban state sparked a global response from the intellectual community. His only “sin” was expressing dissent and criticism through his poetry. He has now been released. “The most original documentary of the year.” – Ruby Rich.

A look at how and why the US supported a conspiracy to overthrow Brazilian elected President Joao Goulart in 1964 when Ambassador Lincoln Gordon planned South America’s longest military dictatorship with the support of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

The 2018 elections turned into the biggest political uprising led by Black women in Brazil’s history, in response to the brutal execution of politician and activist Marielle Franco.

An exploration of the skillful mechanisms of authoritarian power in the government initiated by Hugo Chávez and continued by Nicolás Maduro, the film exposes how populism can endanger any democracy.

A political and emotionally charged story, experienced by two 11-year-old boys coming from opposite ends of the social spectrum in the days leading up to the military coup in Chile.

With undeniable historical, social, and political importance, The Death of Pinochet expresses the vitality of a nation while exposing the political divisions that marked Chile’s recent history with death and violence.

An unknown chapter in the history of Latin America that resonates deeply in the present, Ecuador was shaken in 1981 by the sudden death of President Jaime Roldós and his wife in a suspicious plane crash.

Follow Brazil’s transition from dictatorship to democracy through three narratives: The demands for free elections, Brazilian rock groups, and the Corinthian democracy football movement.

What was the Argentinian mindset immediately preceding Jorge Videla’s right-wing military coup? Director Benjamín Naishtat’s darkly funny, highly stylish film immerses itself in Argentina’s subconscious in 1975, resulting in an x-ray of madness and moral decline.

The son of a wealthy businessman starts prepping his candidacy for office. To distance himself from his father’s reputation, he forms a new political party that speaks for the common man and hires a hotshot PR team to craft his new image.