Tuesday, February 21, 2012 in Research 1 Room 163 at 4:30PM
Latin American Studies
4400 University Drive, MS 3F4, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Phone: 703-993-1413 http://las.gmu.edu/
Voces Inocentes (Innocent Voices) A film by Luis Mandoki
The bloody civil war which tore apart El Salvador in the 1980s is seen through the eyes of a
young boy in this drama from director Luis Mandoki. Chava (Carlos Padilla) is 11 years old and
growing up in a small town in El Salvador where the fighting between rebels and government
troops is a daily fact of life. Chava’s father has abandoned the family, leaving him behind as the
man of the house while his mother (Leonor Varela) and sister try to maintain a normal life by
day while dodging bullets by night. Chava’s 12th birthday is coming up, which puts the boy
in a dangerous position -- at 12, he’ll be old enough to join the army and be used as cannon
fodder against the rebels, so he and his classmates try to find out when military recruiters will
be coming to their schools so they can plan to be absent that day. However, as Chava faces both
danger and adventure in his little town, the war edges in closer all the time until it can’t be
avoided any longer.
Featuring discussion led by Mason faculty member Charlotte Rogers (Department of Modern
and Classical Languages) and the Salvadoran Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Hector Silva.
For more information on this event contact Center for Global Studies Co-Director Jo-Marie Burt: jmburt@gmu.edu
Event published:
February 16, 2012