MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Special award in Spain for Falklands war film

The Argentine film “Enlightened by fire” about the Falkland Islands 1982 conflict was awarded Saturday a special prize by the jury of the 53 San Sebastian International Cinema Festival.

The jury with actress and director Anjelica Huston acting a president said the film directed by Tristan Bauer "transports with emotion and intelligence the tragic senselessness of war and the memory effects of such a painful experience to the daily life of people".

"Enlightened by fire", which was partly filmed in the Falklands and mostly in Argentina was officially shown in the Festival last Tuesday with a very impressive impact on the audience, many of which were in tears when the most emotive scenes of the film.

The script tells the story of a Malvinas veteran, interpreted by Argentine actor Gaston Pauls whose war experiences begin to flashback when a close friend and veteran attempts to commit suicide. The film tries to rehabilitate all those Argentines who fought in the Malvinas war because "the combatants were returned to Argentina secretly, trying to hide them. Somehow this film wants to turn over that coming back in disgrace, making Argentine public opinion value all those teenagers who were sent to fight with 18,19 years", said Bauer during a press conference in the Spanish resort.

"What we tried to reflect is how can we talk of Malvinas in Argentina and how can we say no to war outside of Argentina. The film is a song to life, a film which wants to look ahead with dignity and no hatred", added Edgardo Esteban who also wrote the script.

Actually Esteban is co-author of the book, with the same name, that inspired the film, a recollection of his personal experience as a solider in the 1982 conflict between Argentina and United Kingdom that left 649 Argentines and 255 British dead.

The daily life of the conscripts exposed to the freezing Falklands' winter weather, lack of food and the harsh, almost inhuman treatment from their own Argentine officers is presented crudely and mercilessly, although the most shocking moments belong to the actual fighting scenes.

"I'm dedicating the award to all those 18 to 20 youngsters who were taken to Malvinas in 1982, to those who died, to those who returned and committed suicide, over 300, and to survivors", stressed Mr. Bauer.

The film which has become a box office success in Argentina has been praised by the Buenos Aires press.