Manuel F Contreras: The sea and autocracy

Exhibition Opening

Sergio Tabeira arrived in Hungary in 1974, fleeing the Uruguayan military dictatorship. Judith Klein's parents are Holocaust survivors who fled Hungary from communism to Brazil. Pablo Fritz has been living as a refugee in Budapest since the age of 4. His father disappeared as a leftist militiaman during the Chilean dictatorship. Susana Kertész was born in Venezuela but decided to leave Chavista socialism at the age of 53 and move to Budapest. Francisco Pellicer is considered "right-wing" in Hungary, but his political views would be more "left-wing" in Latin America. He hasn't returned to Cuba in 35 years, and he says the only thing he will miss from there is the sea.

After World War II, communism and capitalism similarly shaped the history of Latin America and Eastern Europe. These were territories controlled by occupation and dictatorships, characterized by isolation, totalitarianism, surveillance, and the elimination of opposition. The stories of the participants in the documentary film installation illustrate the connections between the two regions and the diasporas that emerged after the Cold War and in the post-1989 era. It raises awareness that despite the passage of time, the same political divisions persist, forming a vicious cycle.

Documentary Film Installation: 5 pieces of 20-minute videos. In Spanish and Portuguese with Hungarian subtitles.

Manuel F Contreras is a documentary filmmaker and holds a Doctor of Liberal Arts degree from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. He coordinates the Budapest International Documentary Festival (BIDF) and the selection of films for Budapest South-Doku.

On view: 2 October  - 07 October, 2020.