SCREEN

140,000 gang members have ruptured life in California, Mexico, and Central America. In Central America they are referred to as the “maras”, modeling themselves on Los Angeles youth gangs, these groups are now spreading terror in El Salvador and further afield. This phenomenon is, without doubt, one of the most revealing aspects of Central American society, dominated for the past 30 years by right wing "neo-liberal" governments; apostles of the "Washington Way', neo-liberals and globalization.

For five years Poveda shared his life with these groups and he offers us an alternative analysis of this phenomena, which is both passionate and controversial. Powerful images of a youth, who are at the same time, both terrifying and hateful but also captivating typifies the disintegration of family life within Salvadorian society and the despair in which they have grown up. Poveda does not treat this as a "generation war" but more as an anthropological confrontation. Cornered and lost the answer of this generation is to negate everything with rebellion and death. La Vida Loca is a documentary about absolute human solitude and desperation. Director: Christian Poveda, 2008, San Salvador / France, 90 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.

In Memory of Christian Poveda

Christian Poveda the French /Spanish filmmaker who spent 5 years documenting the brutality and poverty of the El Salvador street gangs was murdered on September 3, 2009 in Tonacatepeque, a rural region north of the Salvadoran capital - a victim of the extreme violence he was trying to bring attention to. His film has been touring international film festival and has received widespread recognition. This screening is in honor of a brave filmmaker and a dear friend.