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A something else project

A something else project

A documentary film as donation

War scenes of the Paraguayer approximately Brazilians

The title: “To the memory of our heroes”

In May visited us the teacher Christina of the secondary school “Juan Pablo II” from the locality Pirayu. She told us, that the French Embassy organize a contest of a historical land (Campo Cerro Leon) whit some secondary schools, and her class want to present a documentary film. Ath first we thought - a lot of work without money. But after long discussions I wanted to know the land and the students, because they should be the actors of the historical documnetary film. And so, we made a meeting in the "Campo Cerro Leon". At the right time the class arived with the headmistress, the teacher, directress and a nun from a Carmelite Order, called the Sister Pilar Ocerim It made a good impression on us and after the mutual representation we went into details. The students had an exactly conception and so we arranged with them 3 days later the start of filming. The reason for our documentary film was that this historical land should be changed into a museum because their stand remainders of barracks from the Paraguayan national hero "Mariscal Lopez", from a 3 Land war in the year 1886 (tripolarize Alianza against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay). The most of our work should be on this place.

Some pictures and information from the new film

Photo left: the entire class of the Colegios, the other photos show scenes of the film

We started with some interviews of older people, in the lenguage of Guarani, who had information of this time from their parents or grandparents. All actors worked realy concentradet and engaged it was a great pleasure to work with them. From the military training school the students lend some uniforms and weapous and the girls lend long dresses and stolas from the relatives and neighbours. Our work had a prompt effect and so we got our first annoyance. Other competitive schools protested, because we are a professional filmteam. They thought it was on unfair competition, and so our college and our film were prohibited, although we worked without pay. The students were realy disappointed about this situation, because they invested a lot of time and mony for this projekt and so we decided to go on with not competing.

Scenes of the documentary film “memory of our martyrs” from the time around 1860

Our decision it paid, because during the award of the prize, our college became the secound place. with submitted photos, collected objekts from this, time and with the presentation of a beautiful model of the historical barracks. The prices were lent by the French ambassador of Paraguay in the presence to the Paraguayan Vice-Minister for education, the mayor of Pirayú an all directors of the participating schools and of course the students. With tears in their eyes the students protested once more and so they decided a public demonstration at the day 30.6. in the locality Pirayú.

Scenes of the documentary film "memory of our martyrs" from the time around 1860

When we arrived at Friday the 30 there waited a relay great surprice for us. The whole class had made T-Shirts, with the print “Lucky Producciones” to thank us for all our work. The film was presented in a hall with a great screen and endless people looked at the Film. After the presentation we got a thunderous applause, also from the French Ambassador, Denis Vene and from the Vice-Minister of education, Bruno Francisco Barrios Sosa, the both were enthusiastic supporters of our film. Than I got a wonderful memorial plaque and my wife a beautiful bouquet from the students.
Later in the hall we gave some interviews, the Ambassador, the Vice-Minister, the headmistress of the school and myself. After the interviews we got another, a realy nice wall plate, to thank us once more for the film.
With all these thanks we got, we thought the whole film was not only our merit, without the perfekt co-operation of the students and the wonderful assistance of the school, we couldu't realize this film. There fore our thanks at them.

Gunter Dittmar