In a recent interview, acclaimed Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel has called for her country to abandon its 'fantasy of being a European country' and confront its deep-seated racism against Indigenous communities. Martel, best known for fiction films such as 'Zama' and 'The Headless Woman', spoke about her award-winning documentary 'Landmarks', which centers on the 2009 killing of Indigenous leader Javier Chocobar in a land dispute.
The Documentary's Core
'Landmarks' is Martel's first documentary and uses the Chocobar case to explore broader historical patterns of violence and dispossession. The film shows how a tour guide in a Catholic church explains a painting depicting Indigenous people being repelled by angels, while later Indigenous viewers note the guide's conviction that even God wants to erase them.
Martel, 59, states: 'The Argentine population is very alienated when it comes to Indigenous issues. Every effort has been made in this country not to recognise the rights of Indigenous communities.'
The Killing and Trial
Javier Chocobar, a 68-year-old Diaguita leader from the Chuschagasta community in Tucumán province, was shot dead on 12 October 2009. The moment was filmed by mining businessman Darío Luis Amín, who claimed ownership of the land. He arrived with two former police officers, and the footage shows the argument escalating until one officer opens fire. Eight more gunshots are heard as the camera shifts. The three accused were armed; no Indigenous people carried weapons.
Martel discovered the video on YouTube while researching 'Zama'. She began investigating the land dispute and decided to help the community by building an archive, which evolved into a film. The trial took nearly nine years to begin. Martel attended the 14-day hearings, describing them as 'one of the most extraordinary spectacles I’ve ever witnessed'. She notes that racism against Indigenous peoples was evident through 'paternalism, infantilisation and the idea that the assets of Indigenous communities are something the state should decide how to administer'.
Systemic Racism and National Identity
The documentary shows how even the existence of Indigenous Argentinians was questioned, a phenomenon Martel says is widespread. 'At school, we receive no information on Indigenous communities or their rights,' she says. Martel believes this racism is tied to Argentina's self-image as a 'white' nation shaped by European immigration, ignoring other ethnic groups. 'We are always behaving as if we don’t belong to Latin America. Argentina needs to put an end to this fantasy of being a nonexistent European country.'
Indigenous people make up about 3% of the population according to the 2022 census.
Cultural Appropriation Debate
Martel, who is white, sees no problem in making a film centered on Indigenous issues. She acknowledges that cinema's first 120 years were dominated by white men from upper middle-class backgrounds and welcomes greater diversity. However, she warns that 'discourse around cultural appropriation also created another problem', especially among young filmmakers. 'You see men terrified of making films about women, women uncertain about what subjects they are allowed to address. I understand that concern, but we cannot stop talking about the issues of our time simply because the protagonists have not lived the same lives we have.'
Aftermath and Future
Now that the film's promotional cycle is ending, Martel will hand over the rights to the Chuschagasta community, who were the first to see the completed documentary. At trial's end, the three accused were convicted but appealed and remained free. In 2021, Amín died of Covid. At the end of 2024, the supreme court ordered the imprisonment of the two former police officers. The community continues to fight for official state recognition of its land.
Martel insists 'Landmarks' is not just about one community but about 'a historical conflict and the usurpation of Indigenous lands in Argentina'. She made the film 'to contribute to the history of our country, and to the health of Argentine society, which has carried this problem for far too long: through indifference, denial and constant doubt regarding the existence or legitimacy of Indigenous claims.'
'Landmarks' is showing at Bertha DocHouse, London, from 29 May.
