Malvinas: the experience of a filmmaker who dared to look straight at an uncomfortable reality

Los Vencedores is a documentary about a subject we prefer not to know about. Perhaps it is not what its director, Pablo Aparo, set out to make at the beginning, but this film about the Falklands (Malvinas) confronts us with an uncomfortable reality: that of the other version of the conflict. It is unprecedented that in Argentine cities many people come to see this documentary, which gives a voice to the islanders, showing who they are, what they do, and what their reasons are for thinking the way they do about us. What the war was and how they experienced it. Getting close to the local people and talking to them is a way of approaching a conflict that we often tackle simplistically, in black and white, like the images that reached us from the war, as Aparo says in conversation with LA NACION. "They always show us the islands as a sad, gray, empty place. Instead, I found one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life," Aparo says about his arrival in the Malvinas. That was not a destination he had in mind in 2017 when he presented El Espanto at the Sheffield film festival in Great Britain, a film set in a tiny town in the province of Buenos Aires. "When I left the screening, a producer from Channel 4 whom I never saw again approached me and said: 'I would love for you to make a film like this one, but in a town in the north of England that I know, because the truth is it's very similar.' At that moment the subject didn't seem viable to me because I have nothing to do with any town in the north of England. But because of that, the idea crossed my mind: why not do it in that place we call Puerto Argentino, Stanley, which is such a small place. So, in total ignorance and unawareness, I started to do some research." The poster for "Los Vencedores," by Pablo Aparo. The idea began to take shape in 2020, when he was able to make his first trip to the islands, funded by the INCAA and a patronage grant from the City of Buenos Aires. The plan was to stay for a month, to get to know the terrain and its people better, but the stay stretched to two and a half months. He moved from the initial hotel to a family home, and then to another. That stay on the islands allowed him to build a network of relationships. He met people, and people got to know him. The beginning was complicated by distrust of Argentines in general and of those who come with cameras in particular. Getting the testimonies for Los Vencedores took time. "When they saw that I was alone, trying to make the film and that I listened to them without starting to argue—because if I started arguing, there would be no film—that's when some doors began to open." After a while, word of mouth began to work. He talked with politicians, neighbors, merchants, immigrants, military personnel, police officers. He even managed to interview people who were initially reluctant to speak to an Argentine—for example, Matt. Very anti-Argentine, he lives in the countryside, far from the city. What begins as a tense conversation, at times destined to fail, turns into a genuine dialogue in which, in the end, they even allow themselves a few jokes. "You see, Matt? It took an Argentine coming for you to fix the water tank," Pablo tells him. The islander needles him at another moment: "I'm going to rip that ring out of your nose with pliers." —What impression do you think the film makes on those who go see it? —Those who come up to comment or leave us comments on social media, in most cases, understand where this film is going and appreciate the revelations it contains. There are also some who get angry at me, at the people who speak, but the point is to tear down certain prejudices we have that are very strong, on our side and on theirs as well. —What is the greatest value you see in the documentary? —That it generates a new perspective. It becomes clear that there is a complexity to the matter that we don't see. After talking with so many of them, I can say that I don't share their point of view, but I can understand them. The important thing is that I was able to talk. Then, whether we agree or not... —At one point, Matt says something like "We could be friends if your country stopped claiming sovereignty," and you reply: "That's not going to happen." That implies that you can talk with someone with opposing ideas without giving up your own convictions. —That's what it's about. I always say that what I feel for my country, for the places where I live, for the people around me is inexplicable; it's very deep. That same feeling leads me to put myself in the shoes of someone who has lived there for eight or nine generations. That's why I think it's valuable, at least, to listen to their position. Another matter is the geopolitical situation of each country, the diplomatic and territorial sovereignty strategies of each. But we have to understand that in the end there are human beings in between, and perhaps we have many things in common. —You also tell one of them that the problem is not with the islanders but with Great Britain. —Right, and there I see that they don't know, they don't understand, they never studied, our problems with Great Britain. —What do you mean by "they don't know"? —For example, they don't know that England tried to invade us twice while we were preparing for independence. They don't know that afterward Great Britain exercised total neocolonialism through its companies. They also don't know that directly or indirectly it supported the dictatorships in Argentina because it saw them as allies in its fight against communism. I talked about that with them. —Another difference is that they don't consider any negotiation with Argentina, and we understand "negotiation" as the complete return of the islands. Two incompatible positions. —What UN Resolution 2065 says is that we must sit down to negotiate. In a negotiation, each party is going to lose something, because neither can win everything. It's hard for us to accept that. But it's either that or another stupid war. Negotiating, for me, means truly negotiating and always peacefully. I can't remember exactly who told me on the islands, "Look, let's agree to disagree. Let's agree that this will be resolved peacefully and, meanwhile, let's talk about practical matters—fishing, oil, the environment, what we can give you, what you can give us. We could have scientific control of fishing and keep China from taking everything." I don't know how that would work, because I'm not an expert in international law, I don't know if it's possible, but I was surprised they brought it up. They also told me that Argentine fishing businessmen have spoken with the islanders about some kind of cooperation. What I also feel is that every government uses the Falklands strategy for its own political ends. For screening dates and locations, @losvencedores.pelicula on Instagram.