Open veins of Latin America: an essay on Araya

Abstract

The desire to reveal the conflicting realities of their countries of origin encouraged Latin American filmmakers to explore the political potential of cinema and more specifically of the documentary in 1950. In a context of accelerated changes under the aegis of development, many filmmakers turned their eyes to marginalized areas of the continent. They have also questioned the real benefits that modernization could bring against the historical exploitation suffered by Latin America. Araya (Margot Benacerraf, 1959, Venezuela) addresses this issue by following 24 hours of a community living from fishing and handicraft production of salt in the peninsula of Araya. We intend to analyze how Margot Benacerraf approaches such universe and how she positions herself concerning the sudden changes that are about to happen in Araya, and to establish connections with other documentaries in the region that proposed a similar approach.