IGUALADA Beats the Odds in the Ultimate Underdog Tale

(Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)

By Patty Consolazio

This one's for any person who's ever felt put down, left out, marginalized, oppressed, alone, defeated, or just less-than. For anyone who doesn't think they can make a difference.

The film IGUALADA begins with a definition: Igualada: a derogatory term (based on class, race, and sex) used to designate someone who acts as if they deserve rights and privileges that supposedly don't correspond to them.

Deep in Colombia, young mother Francia M rquez stands before her neighbors and makes a plea for them to band together and prevent the right-wing paramilitaries from seizing their land for gold mining and development. If this eviction starts here, it will lead to the eviction of the entire territory, she points out.

The men - young and old - listen to her, deep in thought. Then they speak up.

We're risking our lives defending a land that is ours, says one of the men.

We're not leaving without a fight, says another.

But you need to be aware, M rquez reminds them, those paramilitary groups don't mess around.

They don't. We watch as armed men announce over a loudspeaker to a large group of citizens, Anybody caught disobeying our orders won't have time to regret it because they'll be dead.

We watch as those who don't fight back canoe down the river with their worldly belongings perched on top - clothes, dolls, a mattress - to find a new place to live, where they will have to start all over, alone.

We bear witness to mass funerals, where the mothers cry at the death of their tortured sons.

Then they march and sing and cry and chant, Who will mourn our dead?

As women, just seeing all those mothers crying, it was terrible, and very sad, remembers M rquez. Right there and then, I think that's what made us say, We have to stop this!'

So it was that helplessness, that pain, that anger and emotion, that pushed me to make this plan public, she says. I want to be president of this country.

LINK:	https://www.sundance.org/blogs/igualada-beats-the-odds-in-the-ultimate...
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