The Death of Jaime Roldós
(La Muerte de Jaime Roldós)
Lisandra I. Rivera, Manolo Sarmiento | Documentary
2013 | 125 minutes | Argentina, Ecuador
The history of Ecuador was shaken in 1981 by the sudden death of President Jaime Roldós and his wife in a suspicious plane crash. Combining investigative journalism and film essay, the film uncovers an unknown chapter in the history of Latin America that resonates deeply in the present.
Synopsis
The history of Ecuador was shaken in 1981 by the sudden death of President Jaime Roldós and his wife Martha Bucaram in a suspicious plane crash.
Described by Gabriel García Márquez as a "president with a generous heart," Roldós had sought the democratic leadership of a continent that was subject to the power of brutal military dictatorships.
The film examines his two deaths: the probable conspiracy generated by his policy of Human Rights advocacy in the continent, and the Shakespearean drama of his three children, faced with the manipulated image of their parents by a populist party created by members of their own family.
After thirty years of silence, combining investigative journalism and film essay, the film leads us to discover a surprising and unknown chapter in the history of Latin America that resonates deeply in the present.
Now, thanks to the new lines of investigation laid out by The Death of Jaime Roldós, the attorney general of Ecuador, Galo Chiriboga, has decided to reopen the case. Perhaps there are no longer people to accuse, but it remains essential to rethink the historical process, to look back at the past in order to try to construct a different present.
Reviews
"The Death of Jaime Roldós by Lisandra Rivera and Manolo Sarmiento, about the death of Ecuador's president, has been integral to the success of Ecuadorian cinema on a local and international scale." — Gary M. Kramer, IndieWire
"The award-winning The Death of Jaime Roldós delves into the mystery behind the plane crash that killed Roldos, Ecuador's president from 1979 to 1981. It has forced the re-opening of the case." — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety
Citation
Main credits
Rivera, Lisandra I. (film producer)
Rivera, Lisandra I. (film director)
Sarmiento, Manolo (film producer)
Sarmiento, Manolo (film director)
Sarmiento, Manolo (screenwriter)
Andrade, Daniel (film director)
Andrade, Daniel (screenwriter)
Other credits
Cinematography, Daniel Andrade; editor, Manoela Ziggiatti, Sergio Venturini; music, Daniel Mancero.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Communication + Journalism
Criminal Justice
History
Human Rights
International Relations
Latin American Studies
Political Science
Sociology
South America
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
Havana Film Festival - Best Documentary and Memory Prize
Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse - Best Documentary ex aequo
LAKINO Latin American Film Festival Berlin - Best Latin American Documentary
Chicago Latino Film Festival - Best Documentary, Audience Award
FILMAR en América Latina Switzerland - Best Documentary, Audience Award
Barranquilla International Film Festival Colombia - Best Latin American Film
DIRECTOR: Lisandra I. Rivera, Manolo Sarmiento
NATIONALITY: Argentina, Ecuador
YEAR: 2013
GENRE: Documentary
LANGUAGE: Spanish
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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