The struggle for liberation of the people in Latin America in the 1960s/70s was a recurring theme of politically engaged film festivals on both sides of the Wall. The resulting connection between Leipzig, East Berlin and West Berlin is evidenced by the analogue film material of militant cinema from countries like Argentina, Chile or Cuba that is held in the archive of Arsenal Filminstitut and the German Federal Archives today.
Countless families in the Tucumán province, one of the poorest regions in Argentina, become unemployed after the annual sugar cane harvest. The state installs so-called popular kitchens to combat hunger. Children and old people spoon the thin broth almost apathetically. “These images are stark and elementary. Without commentary, the camera confronts us with conditions of destitution that even the most eloquent pleas are unable to describe”, Peter Kress notes in the report of the 1970 West German Short Film Festival. As a counterpoint to the images, “Ollas populares” is set to the Argentinian national anthem. Can its lyrics only be understood as an expression of cynicism? Maybe it can be interpreted quite differently – as a revolutionary call to arms: “Hear the noise of broken chains. / See noble equality enthroned.” Gerardo Vallejo’s film was made in the constant fear of exposure of its authorship, which is why it is listed anonymously in the Oberhausen programme.
Florian Wüst
