The history of Malvinas War It has been recounted from multiple perspectives, but the hidden tragedy that many of the Argentine soldiers in the islands lived were rarely addressed. “The voices of silence”the documentary led by Gabriela Naso and produced by octopofilms, by Ana Fraile and Lucas Scavino, puts the allegations of former combatants about the torments suffered at the hands of their own superiors. With a critical and testimonial approach, the film immerses itself in the hard reality of those young people who not only faced the cold and hunger, but also the violence of those who had to lead them.
Abuse and torture within the Argentine Army during the Falklands War have been a silenced theme for years. Officially, the story has highlighted the heroism of the soldiers and the courage in combat, leaving aside the brutality exercised by some officers and non -commissioned officers against their own troops. This documentary breaks with this epic version to expose the practices of extreme punish.
The military dictatorship that Argentina ruled at that time was not only responsible for taking the country to an unequal war against England, but also for perpetuating a system of violence and repression within its own ranks. After the surrender, the high controls were responsible for silencing the victims and guaranteeing the impunity of those responsible for these crimes. However, over time, some former combatants decided to break the silence and start a long road to justice.
Mentor. Born in Quilmes, The journalist and current director Gabriela Nasoat 32, it raises the voice of the never said with an unpublished material that opens a pit in the amended and hidden Argentine military history. “I arrived in Malvinas through an article that I wrote at the end of 2016. On that occasion I contacted Ernesto Alonso, the Secretary of Human Rights of the Cecim de la Plata because he was writing about the identification of the Argentine soldiers and tells me the existence of the judicial case 1777/07 that investigates the torments and abuses to the conscripted soldiers by their superiors. I took the subject human rights perspective ”. In turn, the director is in parallel, the author of the book “Sparks in memory” (Editorial Marea, 2024), written together with Victoria Torreswhere they talk about the identification of NN soldiers in Malvinas. A mandatory reading material that serves as an introduction to the documentary that opens to the reflection on hell lived by young people who just came to life and crossed them forever.
The theme raised by Naso in “The voices of silence” although it seems unlikely, it was never in the field of media analysis and although it was peripherally treated in several films and documentaries, it was somewhat more anecdotal than punishable. “When I do a master’s degree in documentaryism, I realize that there were two great Malvinas lines: the deed and post -traumatic effects of the soldiers. But there was a vacancy area and I felt necessary to tell this story as a contribution to collective memory,” he adds.
The documentary collects the voices of Antonio Orellana, David Zambrino, Ernesto Alonso, Gerardo Roschge, Miguel Anderfuhrn, Oscar Rojas and Silvio Katzamong others, former combatants who have led the complaint against the military who tortured them. Individual stories that are intertwined with the collective struggle promoted by the center of former Falkland Islands (Cecim) of La Plata, one of the organizations that has led the case before justice.
For 18 years, the cause is still ongoing but faces multiple obstacles. Despite the testimonies and evidence, the obstacles of the judicial system have so far prevented the judgment of those responsible. The documentary underlines the importance of these facts being recognized as crimes against humanity, which would avoid their prescription and allow the culprits to face a fair trial.
“The voices of silence” denounces torture in Malvinas and questions the official story about war. Disassembles the notion of “heroic deed” that for decades has predominated in Argentine collective memory. And shows the suffering and injustice that many soldiers suffered at the hands of their compatriots.
In the first person. “There are many former fighters who have trouble talking and it is because of the imposition of silence they suffered from the armed forces for years. Also the silence they took to their families because they saw their faces of horror when they listened to them. But everyone agreed on something: they took out a backpack of stones from above. The liberator of putting in words what was denied for a long time,” explains Naso on how shudder who lived horror.
The premiere of “The Voices of Silence” is scheduled for the first week of April, with functions on April 1 at the Gaumont cinema and at the Argentine Theater of La Plata on April 3.
“The objective of this documentary is that it can be projected in as many spaces possible. That can be seen in schools, universities, memory sites and cultural centers. That is another tool to discuss and think Malvinas from the perspective of human rights,” concludes Naso.
