Oliver Stone Faces Protesters At NY 'South Of The Border' Screening

By Bashira Webb

Team Blogamole attended the June 21 screening of Oliver Stone’s film, “South of the Border”. The controversial doc — which Stone filmed and edited during the course of making two narrative features and a 10-hour documentary he’s still working on — attempts to show Latin America in a different light. Calling mainstream American media's coverage of Chávez "awful," Stone explores Latin America's shift toward socialism, led by the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

Chávez may not technically be a dictator, but he is an oppressive force who in the past has arrested people for “committing acts of journalism.” This has raised questions as to how Stone was able to make a truthful film with such unprecedented access.

Oliver Stone at the "South of the Border" screening in NY on June 21

The ongoing controversy over their relationship was made evident at Monday's screening. When Mr. Stone emerged from a black Cadillac Escalade, he was met with boos from a string of protesters who were mostly from Venezuela. One carried a sign that read, "How much did Chávez pay you?" and the group began to chant "Liar! Liar! Liar!" as the filmmaker made his way into the theater. One protester, Manuel Kohn, a man who fled Venezuela, told MTV Tr3s that 80% of the country is poor and suffering.

Protester Gladys Bensimon at the "South of the Border"
screening in NY on June 21

Another protester, filmmaker Gladys Bensimon, told MTV Tr3s that she is a native of Caracas, Venezuela. She said, “I have seen what is really going on in Venezuela, a beautiful country that is rich with resources and natural wealth.” Kohn and Benimon shared a very different view than those depicted in "South of the Border."

The Oscar winning filmmaker is taking it all in stride. He told MR Zine that "Chávez was sort of a natural [as a subject for his work] because he is such a demonized, polarizing figure, but when I met him, it was not at all what I thought, you know, what we made him out to be. So, I went on from talking to Hugo — he suggested, "Go talk to other people in the region, don't believe me necessarily" — so we went around and we talked to seven other presidents in six countries. We got this amazing unity in referendum saying, hey, these guys are changing the way Latin America is."

"South Of The Border" is as much a 'true' documentary as any Michael Moore film; there is definitely a bias. The film shows the politician riding a child’s bicycle and other sympathetic sequences. Stone chose to avoid the hard questions, difficult topics that Stephen Sackur brought up when he interviewed Chávez for BBC’s HARD Talk:

"South Of The Border" may come across to some as a love letter to Chávez, but Stone also raises some interesting points. He presents how the American government has tried again and again to overthrow the Venezuelan President, and with expert reporters and C.I.A. documents, the film is pretty convincing. In the film, Chávez says this is because the United States government wants his country's oil and he has a point; the U.S. gets more oil from Venezuela than any other country.

With "South of the Border," Oliver Stone was brave enough to try a different approach; he shows us a man, a multifaceted human being who seems to genuinely care about his country.

This film is worth seeing so you can further educate yourself on the issues, reminding us that there are always two sides to every story. Blind agreement or disagreement doesn't serve anyone, right?

"South of the Border" opens June 25 in NYC, with engagements following in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, and other markets.

Photos: Bashira Webb for MTV Tr3s

Tags 2010, NYC, Oliver Stone, Politics, protesters, screening, South of the Border