Under the Flags, the Sun
Juanjo Pereira / Paraguay, Argentina, United States, France, Germany / 2025 / 90 min
Dr. Mengele from Auschwitz and other Nazi war criminals found refuge and lived undisturbed in the dictatorial state of Paraguay. This archival documentary offers a journey of justice through one of the longest-lasting dictatorships of the modern world, revealing materials and information uncovered for the first time by the filmmakers.
About the film
A visual archaeology of Alfredo Stroessner’s long dictatorship in Paraguay (1954–1989), reconstructing the totalitarian regime through a carefully crafted montage of globally sourced visual materials: propaganda films, international news, scientific reports, and declassified documents. By emphasizing the degraded textures, wear, and subtle imperfections of archival footage, Pereira amplifies the ambiguity of perception — everything we see feels authentic, yet suspect, creating a subtle emotional tension. The film becomes more than a historical document — it is a visual warning, a testimony to how collective memory can be manipulated or lost, and a reminder that the ghosts of authoritarianism still haunt the present.
ProducerPaula Zyngierman, Leandro Listorti, Gabriela Sabaté, Juanjo Pereira, Hernan Mazzeo, Ivana Urizar
SoundJulián Galay
CinematographyFrancisco Bouzas
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