Reddit reviews Rebel Radio: The Story of El Salvador's Radio Venceremos

I didn't see you specify feature-length films, which sadly the industry there just can't sustain yet. However, there are a handful of short film directors in the country's history who produced a prolific amount as to be considered significant in Central and Latin American artistic circles. Thanks to modern technology, a few of their works are available online via 'La Museo de la Palabra y Imagen,' which is a museum in El Salvador dedicated to preserving the modern recorded history and heritage of the country.

Probably the most prolific of these directors is Alejandro Cotto (1928-2015). He was based in Suchitoto, a small, rural region of the country, and supposedly worked with directors like Luis Bunuel as miscellaneous crew. By the end of his life he was highly honored by the national government for his contributions to art in the country. The only one of his shorts I've seen, 'El Rostro' (The Face), certainly fits a lot of the qualities that are often associated with third cinema. It has a neorealist/Satyajit Ray quality to it which I find to be fairly interesting.

The other one I can think of is Balthazar Polio. His two shorts are also on YouTube. Topiltzin is very aesthetically and thematically similar to Cotto's 'El Rostro,' but I have a special fondness for 'El Gran Debut' (The Big Debut). If you're able to look past the stodgy film quality and poor state of deterioration, you get a very interesting film that's dense with symbolism. Playing off of the nation's fondness of clowns and circuses, the film tells a simple story that touches on themes of loneliness, depression, acceptance, and suicide! I've actually watched this short a lot and could go on and on about it, so it's best if I just leave it at a few sentences 🙂 . It's not that I think it's particularly good or important, but it shows a great deal of promise when considering what Salvadoran cinema as a whole would look like if supported better. The poor state the films currently find themselves in is disconcerting, and preservation is an undertaking only being assumed by a small group of organizations. Considering the country's culturally destructive wartime period, it's lucky we still have what we've got.


As you can see, these films are all pretty much lacking in dialogue or language, requiring no subtitles, so in a way these shorts seem to display a tendency towards 'pure cinema,' which I find to be very exciting. It certainly lends it a lot of opportunity for a more international audience, and perhaps potentially gaining greater critical consideration in the future. Unfortunately, El Salvador doesn't really have any Glauber Rochas or Patricio Guzmans to claim to. I wish their film industry was more active than it was, but the political, social, and economical situation of the country then and now has never allowed it to flourish in any significant way. That is not to say the country is lacking in a national voice, as the nation's literary heritage is quite rich. If you're interested in books with politically charged perspectives of the country, definitely check out the writings of Manlio Argueta and Roque Dalton, who I believe to be among the country's most interesting and approachable writers. Also check out the book Radio Venceremos (Rebel Radio). The way it's composed makes it feel less like a non-fiction book and more like a cinema verite experience in text format. Speaking of that, I almost forgot about 'El Salvador, El Pueblo Vencera' (El Salvador, The People Shall Rise). No subtitles on this documentary unfortunately, and I've never seen this one in its entirety. That said, the film holds the distinction as having being selected by UNESCO for preservation, so it's definitely an important piece of 'Salvadoran cinema.'

Apologies if you already knew about these films, but I like bringing them up in case anyone else finds interest in the subject.