Best Venezuelan documentary movies

Once upon a time, the Venezuelan village of Congo Mirador was prosperous, alive with fisherman and poets. Now it is decaying and disintegrating—a small but prophetic reflection of Venezuela itself.

"Araya" is an old natural salt mine located in a peninsula in northeastern Venezuela which was still, by 1959, being exploited manually five hundred years after its discovery by the Spanish. In images, the life of the "salineros" and their archaic methods of work before their definite disappearance with the arrival of the industrial exploitation.

A thesis on the history, the successes and failures of Venezuelan and Latin American cinema as a whole; demonstrating how little interaction there is between Ibero-American cinema

Documentary about a prison in Venezuela run by the prisoners themselves.

Based on the negatives of the 33 'La Tauromaquia' engravings made by Goya in 1816, the director invites us to witness the transformation of bodies at the approach of death.

Told through animations, testimonials and pictures, a controversial and dramatic past Venezuelan time.

An analysis of the causes, social, political, and economic that caused the rise of Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela; his abuse of power and the response of civil society, including the student movement; his political fall as well as the secrecy that surrounded his illness and the succession of Nicolás Maduro.

After Memoria del saqueo, La dignidad de los nadies, Argentina latente and La próxima estación, Solanas begins with Oro puro a diptych on the plundering of mineral resources (metals and hydrocarbons). This remarkable and powerful documentary denounces the open-pit cyanide mining operations carried out by multinationals in the northwest with the support of politicians, exposes the progressive contamination of soil and water, and exalts social resistance movements through moving individual and collective examples.

Documentary about the Flotilla to Gaza that was attacked by the israeli commandos in 2010.

A firsthand account of the extraordinary efforts of ordinary Venezuelans to reclaim their democracy from the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro, whose corrupt and brutal policies have plunged the country into economic ruin. Working with a network of clandestine camera crews, the filmmakers spent three years recording exclusive interviews with key opposition figures including Leopoldo López and grassroots activist Nixon Leal, as well as a host of everyday citizens, and captured the remarkable courage of the Venezuelan people as they unite to restore liberty to their country.

Tamara, Desirée, and Victoria are Venezuelan women who live in Caracas and at first glance have little in common. However, all three share much more than the city they live in: they carry an ID that shows a name that is not theirs. They are transgender women. In Venezuela, you cannot legally change the name you were born with. The women unite and through a series of legal actions and tireless activism for equality, these women will test the willingness of Venezuelan institutions to ensure the basic right of its citizens: the right to identity.

Potosí appears like a ghostly mirage at 1,185 meters above sea level. Thirty years have passed since the town was submerged in water. Justo Pérez's family was the last to leave the place. One day, fate comes again to the ruins of the town, and reminds them through the death of Jesus, of the crime and the swamp of which they were victims thirty years ago.

Searching for answers about his family’s legacy, Adrian starts a journey far away from the city to enter a world full of magic and nature to recover his memories about Juan, a hermit artist who changed his parents’ lives, and thus his own.

From oratory classes to operating room, Beauty Factory follows five girls for four months as they compete for the coveted Miss Venezuela crown; revealing the process that has won Venezuela more international beauty pageants than any other country.

Carlos Cruz-Diez is one of the most prominent and influential Kinetic-Optic artists of our times. At 94 years of age, Cruz-Diez pursues an avant-garde challenge: to free color from form. This documentary follows the Maestro as he undertakes the most daring project of his creative life in his twilight years.

When Ivan Simonovis becomes the first and most famous political prisoner in Venezuela, a 15-year period of imprisonment leaves devastating effects on his and his family’s lives. Living in exile as a filmmaker, his son Ivan Andrés crafts a very personal and moving story, using over 25 years of unique family material, showing history from an angle never seen before. A family that had to overcome extreme hardship, a father that has to find his place in life again and a son that faces his traumas by inviting the viewer into the core of a wound that touched both his family and his entire country.

Prosecuted as a revolutionary, banned as a priest, arrested as a rebel, celebrated as an artist. This is Frans Wuytack's truly inspiring and overwhelming story. He unchained a social and cultural revolution in the 60's changing the lives of so many people, from the Venezuelan slums to the Belgian Ports. An epic journey made by his son Fabio Wuytack.

Oliver Stone presents a tribute to a friend one year after his death, the friend in question was the Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chávez. The documentary covers the time Stone and Chávez spent while making "South of the Border", when they developed a close relationship; and the testimonies from South America leaders and people close to Chávez to talk about their views on the man and the politician and share some personal stories they had with him.

Trans is a 1982 Venezuelan documentary short film that offers an intimate look into the lives of a group of trans women and drag performers in Caracas, exploring their experiences in a society marked by transphobia and homophobia. Through interviews and performances, the documentary highlights the resilience and dignity of these women in the face of widespread discrimination and violence. Premiering at the Venezuelan National Cinematheque in 1982, Trans is considered a pioneering work in the representation of the trans community in Latin American cinema.

The Ax Fight (1975) is an ethnographic film by anthropologist and filmmaker Tim Asch and anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon about a conflict in a Yanomami village called Mishimishimabowei-teri, in southern Venezuela. It is best known as an iconic and idiosyncratic ethnographic film about the Yanomamo and is frequently shown in classroom settings.

This documentary is comprised of three shorts: 'El Afinque de Marín' that follows the musicians of the group Madera. 'Yo hablo a Caracas' about an indigenous leader and his reply to the authorities of the venezuelan goverment regarding the violations towards his people and finally 'Mayami Nuestro' chronicles the relationship of venezuelans during the eighties with the city of Miami.

Directed by Margot Benacerraf, Reverón is a poetic and visually striking documentary that delves into the life and artistic vision of Venezuelan painter Armando Reverón. Set in the sun-drenched coastal landscape of Macuto, where the artist lived in near isolation, the film captures his eccentric lifestyle and unique creative process. Through evocative imagery and a contemplative narrative, Reverón explores his deep connection to nature, his experiments with light and texture, and his profound artistic genius. This seminal work stands as a tribute to one of Venezuela’s most influential painters and a landmark in Latin American documentary filmmaking.

Muchachos bañándose en la laguna de Maracaibo (English: Kids bathing at the lagoon of Maracaibo) is the second Venezuelan film produced, after Un célebre especialista sacando muelas en el gran Hotel Europa. It was screened at the Baralt Theatre in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on 28 January 1897. The film shows a group of young people, "muchachos", enjoying Lake Maracaibo. Not much is known about the film's production, and scholars question the identity of its director. Though more is known of the contents of this film than its pair Un célebre especialista..., it has not seen as much modern discussion as the latter.

A documentary about the building of a damn near Caño Mánamo and the effects it has on the environment.

In 2002, a team that only knew defeat surprised all of South America with a chain of unexpected victories in the World Cup qualifiers. The players have begun to believe in themselves like never before and the vinotinto shirt is beginning to represent an entire country. A hope, previously unimaginable, is germinating in the hearts of Venezuelans: to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time.

Documentary that celebrates 100 years of cinema in Latin America and talks about the origins and the development of cinema in this subcontinent. Its structure is based in 12 short films directed by various Latin American directors. These are: 1) "Los inicios", Iván Trujillo 2) "Cuando comenzamos a hablar", María Novaro 3) "Jugando en serio", Jacobo Morales 4) "De cuerpo presente [Las espirales perpetuas del placer y el poder] Cine Mexicano [1931- 1997]", Marcela Fernández Violante 5) "Cuando quisimos ser adultos", Edmundo Aray and David Rodríguez 6) "Cinema Novo", Orlando Senna 7) "Memorias de una isla, Juan Carlos Tabío 8) "Un grito, 24 cuadros por segundo", Julio García-Espinosa 9) "El día de la independencia", Federico García 10) "¿Sólo las formas permanecen?", Fernando Birri and Pablo Rodríguez Gauregui 11) "Todo final es un principio", Andrés Marriquín.

A living room, two video cameras, an armchair, two televisions and a mirror: domestic daily life in which colleagues, family and friends come together to decipher the life, personality and artistic trajectory of one of the most important actresses of Venezuelan Cinema: Hilda Vera

After his mother falls ill, filmmaker Humberto González Bustillo flies back home to be by her side. Before his return, he remembers his childhood, and in turn recounts the colonial interests in Venezuelan lands, together with the continuous oil crisis.

"Snapshot images projected fleetingly on an unstable and mobile surface, describe the urban chaos of the population of Caracas in the 60s. An emerging cosmopolitan city, subjected to the alienating imbalance of an environment convulsed by a complex political and social crisis. Withstanding flashes of neon, reflectors and dazzling directional lights, like a night mirror of the city. An elastic uterus shakes and contracts with interrupted spasms, trying to expel what moves and is submerged inside, deep within. Surprisingly and unexpectedly, this altered thing is released, and an anxious, throbbing and anguished humanoid being emerges hastily." Daniel Gonzalez.

Documentary that tells the story of a group of laborers who live on the banks of the Amazon.

An analysis of the history of television in Venezuela, subjected to economic power and market interests. The film explores the messages that television reproduces through its "anchors" and the much-criticised soap operas.

It records the tour of the legendary Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana in Latin America.

Halfway between fiction and documentary, Initiation of a Shaman tells the story of Rarowe, a young Yanomami who is about to be initiated and must make contact with spirits brought by other shamans. The young man feels the effects of the initiation and always waits until the end to see if he can withstand it. The initiation itself is a rare event and occurs only when the old medicine man is about to die. The ancient rites includes the struggle of the youth with evil spirits which attempt to prevent the old witch doctor from imparting his wisdom to the young man. Hallucinogetic plants are used by the tribe to increase perception. The eerie images depicted are similar to those evoked in the books of Castaneda.

Documentary on Venezuela's dictator Juan Vicente Gómez.

A motion picture of the economic and social situation in current Venezuela, through three characters affected one way or another by dependency and neocolonialism.

Life in the slums of Caracas: misery, violence, unemployment, strength, vitality.

"A visual poem to the glory of Venice by the gifted young Venezuelan painter, with music by Vivaldi." –G. Weinberg

An abstract film in which Jesús Soto's art and André Almuro's musique concrete combine to evoke the modern age.

Experimental film on the work of Carlos Cruz-Diez, with electronic music by Antonio Estévez.

Demonstrations, confrontations, parties and divisions marked one of the most important university campaigns of the decade: the 1968 student elections.

Short film by Jesús Enrique Guédez.

Evocation of the human presence and art of the painter Bárbaro Rivas.

Taking as a guiding theme of religion in Latin America, the film shows the pre-Columbian myths, the arrival of the white man, later syncretism and liberation theology. The main theme is the "popular religion". In Latin America this forms a kind of religious sacred territory where millions of Indians seeking refuge. This is repeated in Brazil, where African religions are another impenetrable territory, which also functions as a stronghold, a refuge.

Pozo muerto (Dead well), a 1967 documentary film by Carlos Rebolledo, Antonio de la Rosa, and Edmundo Aray, denounces the effects of an oil spill on the fishing communities along Lake Maracaibo in western Venezuela.

Imagen de Caracas was an experimental film spectacle, directed by Jacobo Borges and Mario Robles in 1968 for the 400 anniversary of the foundation of Caracas. It needed more than 48768 meters of film and 5000 actors.

Spectacular documentary about Venezuela.

The Guajiros are a people who have survived the harsh elements of their desert environment and the intervention of outside cultures. Through the centuries, they have learned to interpret the values and laws of those cultures to assure the perpetuation of their race. In this film, their art and ancient ceremonies are intermingled with the economic and sociopolitical realities existing in Latin America.

George Foreman vs. Ken Norton, billed as "The Caracas Caper", was a professional boxing match contested on March 26, 1974 for the WBA, WBC and The Ring heavyweight championships.

Douglas Bravo talks about the guerrilla war in Venezuela.

In 1969, a wave of discontent swept through Latin American universities. In Venezuela, students set out to fundamentally renew the concept and criteria of teaching. This is their story.

In 1969, the Renovación Universitaria movement and the subsequent raid on the Central University of Venezuela by the government of Rafael Caldera, triggered a strong wave of protest in the Institutes of Higher Education in Venezuela. This documentary collects part of the events that took place in the city of Mérida, Mérida State, where the University of the Andes is located.