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Chavez the un-demon comes to Venice in Stone film
AFP - Monday, September 7
VENICE, Italy (AFP) - - Oliver Stone seeks to demolish US demonisation of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in his hard-hitting "South of the Border" screened Sunday at the Venice film festival.
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Through a series of interviews interlaced with footage from US media and official statements, Stone is out to show that Chavez is not "public enemy number one" as so often depicted on US media outlets such as Fox News.
He tells the story of Venezuela's "peaceful revolution" since Chavez came to power in 1998, and how Venezuela's transformation has had knock-on effects in the rest of the continent.
For his admirers, Chavez, who grew up in a peasant family, is an emblematic figure of bottom-up change, says Stone, who directed the 2003 film "Comandante" about Cuba's Fidel Castro and the Central America war movie "Salvador" in 1986.
Interviewed by Stone, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner says in the film: "It is the first time in history that the leaders of so many countries look like the people they govern."
She points to Bolivia's first indigenous head of state Evo Morales, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former metalworker, Paraguayan leader Fernando Lugo, a former priest, and Chavez himself, all of whom came from the bottom rungs of society.
Each is interviewed by Stone, 62, who has Oscars for "Platoon" (1986), "Born on the 4th of July" (1989) and the screenplay of "Midnight Express" (1978).
"For many years we had elites that were servile to the United States," says Lula in the documentary, which was shown in a screening for the press.
Reports say Chavez may come to Venice for the official screening of "South of the Border" out of competition on Monday.
The appearance of a foreign head of state would be a rarity in the long history of the world's oldest film festival.
Currently on a world tour that has taken him to Asia, Africa and Europe, Chavez does not give details of his private visits for security reasons.
"Yes, it is possible to change the course of history," says Chavez, adding: "I hope (US President Barack) Obama will become a new Roosevelt."
In his appreciation for Franklin Roosevelt, Chavez has something in common with US documentary maker Michael Moore, whose "Capitalism: A Love Story" was premiering Sunday at the 66th Mostra film festival.
In the film, Moore recalls Roosevelt's never realised proposal for an "economic bill of rights" that would guarantee a living wage, freedom from unfair competition, a home, medical care, education and recreation.
Moore said he hoped his frank but funny documentary would give a voice to people whose "lives are ruined by decisions by people who don't have their best interests in mind."
Pointing to the Berlin Wall coming down and Nelson Mandela emerging from an apartheid prison to eventually become president of South Africa, Moore said: "I'm constantly surprised at the ability of people around the world to make things possible."
Also Sunday, animation guru John Lasseter and Disney/Pixar received a career Golden Lion at a gala ceremony on Sunday.
"This is a tremendous honour," Lasseter said, flanked by Disney/Pixar directors Brad Bird, Peter Docter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich.
"Pixar is founded on true creative collaboration," he said after receiving the award from George Lucas, who sold off Pixar -- then Lucasfilm's computer graphics division -- in 1986 for 10 million dollars.
"These are my best friends and my brothers in creative film making," Lasseter said.
Lucas offered congratulations to "my little backroom operation that started in 1979" and went on the create such films as "Finding Nemo," "Wall-E", "The Incredibles", and the "Toy Story" series.
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