Two decades after the civil war in El Salvador, survivors return to their destroyed mountain village. A documentary about the power, courage and spirit of people who have lost everything, and their ability to sing and work as they rebuild their lives.
For two decades Cinquera was an abandoned place, a ghost town, razed to the ground and literally excluded from official records for years.
During the civil war, which raged in El Salvador from 1980 to 1992, the authorities viewed the town as a hotbed of guerrilla fighters who had allied themselves with the opposition. The revolt was harshly suppressed and the war cost thousands of lives. Many more people disappeared and were never seen again.
In this documentary, director Tatiana Huezo wonderfully documents how survivors of the tragedy process their traumas and commemorate their loved ones.
Special Guest: Carlos Morales
After the movie, there is the possibility to talk with Carlos Morales. Carlos originally comes from El Salvador. As a member of the Salvadorian opposition, he remained for a period in Cinquera during the conflict in the 80s. After the civil war, he worked for more than ten years on the reconstruction of Cinquera and its surroundings, from the Netherlands.
Watch the trailer here:
About Outdoor Cinema: migration
This summer Humanity House opens its terrace for a series of open-air films: Outdoor Cinema 2016! The theme this year is migration.
We are showing films and documentaries from all corners of the world about people who take the momentous decision to leave their homeland. Leaving a dangerous place, arriving in the land of their dreams, or stranded in a place where they don’t want to be at all: how do they relate to new and unknown surroundings, and to policies often aimed at keeping them out? Come to this special summer cinema series and step into the world of the migrant.
Why this docu?
Programmer Carry: “The inhabitants of Cinquera did not flee to another country, but hid in mountain caves, far away from any refugee policy and the UNHCR. And the village was so small that no media reported on the exodus of its inhabitants. In any event, we know almost nothing about the civil war in El Salvador. Even so, the film tells a universal story about people who are the victims of a war they do not even understand, but one that forces them to leave everything behind. Moreover, this remarkable film focuses on the exodus of people and interweaves their story the war experiences they are still coming to terms with.
Good to know
Director: Tatiana Huezo
Length: 100 minutes
Subtitles: English subtitles
Start: the film starts at sunset
Rain: If it rains we will screen the film in our (covered!) Genèva Room
All films in the open air
28-07-16 Film: Stranded in Canton
03-08-16 Docu: The Tiniest Place
04-08-16 Film: Norteado
10-08-16 Docu: A World Not Ours
11-08-16 Film: Children of Men
17-08-16 Docu: They will have to kill us first
18-08-16 Film: Dheepan
24-08-16 Docu: Special Flight
25-08-16 Film: The Terminal