Winner of two Grierson Documen…

Winner of two Grierson Documentary Awards, this settled-paced, ‘exclusive’, insider view of the Venezuelan presidency in crisis has in some quarters proved all but as unsettled as the populist leader Hugo Chavez himself. Granted access in April 2002 to film a political portrait, Bartley and O’Briain found themselves capturing the chaotic events of an attempted coup (48 hours which saw Chavez deposed and reinstated). Parallels with Chile included Allende are apparent, both in the politics and the backing of the opposition, but the film has also been seen by some as too partial. Given the polarities of Venezuela’s community gone haywire, however, this is understandable, and there’s no denying that the fertile mix of ‘right place, right time’ and rapid response camerawork has produced a valued document of wide relevance.

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