April 2, 2007

Latin America | Argentina | Buenos Aires, Falklands

Movies & Malvinas

By Mark Jolly

Not even bombs will keep visitors — and film crews — from the rugged Falkland Islands.

view map

Twenty five years ago today, Argentina invaded the Falklands in a failed bid to reclaim the wind-battered islands from the British. While President Nestor Kirchner may have hardened his stance on sovereignty, the Argentine capital tomorrow welcomes another type of invasion: the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Film. Now in its ninth year, the event will host a record 465 features and shorts from over 40 countries — though it’s likely that the explosion in Argentine cinema will seize most of the attention.

Meantime, those interested in poking around the archipelago that Charles Darwin felt “had an air of extreme desolation” may be in for a pleasant surprise: the Falklands (or the Malvinas) are experiencing an unprecedented boom. Islanders now enjoy some of the highest per capita incomes in the world, and, despite being surrounded by freezing seas and 18,000 landmines left over from the 1982 conflict, a record 55,000 visitors were recorded last year. In addition to regular cruise ships from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, there are now direct flights from Britain and Chile. Though those who prefer their Falklands fix from afar, can settle for Blessed by Fire, the first feature film to address the 74-day war, now playing in cinemas across America.