Operacion Diablo at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival (review)

It’s only when I don’t need it (i.e. having a media pass) that I win things, like last night’s raffle at the presentation of Operacion Diablo.

I should watch more documentaries. They often present an issue or an event that no one ever heard about, thus bringing awareness to it. And obviously, I’d never heard of Peru farmers’ efforts to keep a big mining company away from their mountain. But here’s a better synopsis of the story:

Father Marco Arana is being followed. A private investigative firm is photographing and videotaping his every move. This humble priest has spent two decades defending Peruvian mountain farmers from a US -owned gold mine, earning him the nickname “El Diablo.” When Father Marco’s allies are tortured and assassinated, he and his supporters take action and develop a counterespionage plan. They obtain graphic footage, photos and reports taken by the spies worthy of a Hollywood spy flick. This real-life thriller exposes the new wave of corporate terrorism faced by Latin America’s human rights defenders.

The movie is short (1 hour) but packs a lot of content in it. After setting the background story, the movie moves on to the heart of the matter: how Newmont, an American mining company, hired private “security” companies (more like mercenaries and ex-intelligence officers) to intimidate, capture, torture and even murder those people involved in stopping the company from exploiting a nearby mountain for gold.

What’s most shocking about Operacion Diablo is that it’s not a movie. It’s real life, real people, real women being abused and raped by these para-military groups protecting Newmont’s billions. The movie exposes how money can make people do these horrible things to each other, how the lure of gold and more billions can ever justify such a flagrant disrespect of basic human rights. Because it’s not a war against terrorism fought in Peru: it’s corporate terrorism used against the poorest farmers in rural Peru.

Operacion Diablo is part of the Al Jazeera Documentary Competition and is definitely worth watching. The next (and last) showing is Monday September 5th at 1PM at the Pacific Cinémathèque on Howe Street, downtown Vancouver. More information on the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival 2011 website.

Hummingbird604.com is a proud media sponsor for the 2011 edition of the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival. Follow all our coverage here on the VLAF2011 tag or on the Hummingbird604.com Facebook page. Anabelle attended on Hummingbird604.com’s media pass.

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