El General

EL GENERAL
Broadcast Premiere: July 20, 2010 (P.O.V. Series)

Producer: Natalia Almada
Genre: Documentary
Length: 1 Episode/60 Minutes

The past and the present collide as filmmaker Natalia Almada brings to life audio recordings she inherited about her great-grandfather Plutarco Elias Calles, a revolutionary general who became president in 1924. In his time, Calles was called El Bolshevique and El Jefe Maximo (the foremost chief). Today, he is remembered as el Quema-Curas (priest burner) and as a dictator who ruled through puppet presidents until he was exiled in 1936. Through his daughters recordings, EL GENERAL moves between the memories of a daughter grappling with historys portrait of her father and the weight of his legacy on the country today. Time is blurred in this complex and visually arresting portrait of a family and country living under the shadows of the past. Co-production of ALTAMURA FILMS and ITVS in association with (LPB), with funding provided by the CPB and AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY | P.O.V.

For more information, please visit the P.O.V. website at: http://www.pbs.org/pov/elgeneral.