Under the Flags, the Sun

synopsis

Captured, censored, and long-forgotten film footage from the period of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship in Paraguay. This anthology of images presents a terrifying, ominously distorted picture of a nation after a media lobotomy. Thousands of Paraguayan citizens were arrested, persecuted, or exiled under the right-wing dictatorship between 1954 and 1989. 336 people are still missing. This bizarre South American dictatorship is revealed in propaganda films, exalted celebrations of the leader (the Sun), and footage of street protests and army interventions against demonstrators. To this day, the cult of personality—like censorship—has been replaced and maintained by party control technology and military junta rule. The power of images in the weakness of the spirit.

“This project was born out of curiosity, from a simple question I asked myself many years ago: What has been filmed about Paraguay? Where were all the images of my country? More than an act of memory, this project is a confrontation, a tension against the official gaze, both national and international, toward one of the longest dictatorships in the world.” — Juanjo Pereira

biography

Juanjo Pereira is a Paraguayan documentary filmmaker, sound and visual artist. He studied sound design and Latin American history at the University of Buenos Aires. He is the programme director and dramaturge of the International Contemporary Film Festival in Asunción. As a creator, he participates in a number of festivals and workshops focused on development and dramaturgy. Under the Flags, the Sun is his first feature-length documentary.

film details

director:	Juanjo Pereira
producer:	Juanjo Pereira, Ivana Urizar, Gabriela Sabaté, Paula Zyngierman, Leandro Listorti, N.A N.A

contact

Axelle Jean/Cinephil
axelle@cinephil.com