SENTENCED

CONDENADOS

By Carlos MARTINEZ

ESTUDIOA CINE - as PROD

Drama - Completed 2013

The true story of the La Plata Death Wards, recreated in film by the survivors.

In May 2013, the film was honored at the European Parliament by the Committee on Civil Liberties and Justice. SENTENCED was declared of interest for the European Union and of value to Humanity.

Festivals
& Awards

Ventana Sur 2013
Video Library
Mar Del Plata FF 2013
Panorama
Punta del Este IFF 2014
Panorama
Argentina FICIP 2014
Competencia Argentina
Festival FILMAR - Ginebra 2014
Focus Cine Argentino
    • Year of production
    • 2013
    • Genres
    • Drama, Historical, Second film
    • Countries
    • ARGENTINA
    • Languages
    • SPANISH
    • Budget
    • 1 - 3 M$
    • Duration
    • 85 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Carlos MARTINEZ
    • Writer(s)
    • Carlos MARTINEZ
    • Producer(s)
    • Carlos MARTINEZ (EstudioA Cine), Oscar AZAR (Cinema Digital)
    • Synopsis
    • Feature film based on a true story, made by the survivors in the real prison where this story happened, the 9th Unit of La Plata city. It was the jail where the dictatorship concentrated thousands of political prisoners, pulling apart their leaders into two Wards of Death, to kill them without trial.
      But not only the prisoners would be murdered by the army, but also their families.
      Thirty years later, the perpetrators of these crimes were tried and SENTENCED.

      Argentine, 1976. The Military Council headed by General Videla overthrew the president Maria Estela Martínez de Perón and applied a widespread repression, based on the massive disappearance of persons, hiding the existence of these facts.
      However, before the military coup, was imposed the state of siege and many political prisoners were imprisoned across the country, they had been arrested by decree of the Executive or by charges brought before the Federal Court.
      They were several thousands, their massive disappearance would have been undeniable and unpresentable to the world.
      Then, they designed another strategy. The military intelligence agencies classified the prisoners and many of them were moved to the big prison of La Plata. A group of leaders, selected to be shot without trial, were separated into two wards of death.
      In the following days, they carried out the first executions, which caused an international outcry, the human rights organisations and foreign media focus on that group of prisoners in danger. That was a political cost unbearable for the military government.
      Then, they adapted the plan, killing prisoners under different pretexts, but also kidnapping and murdering many of their relatives. Some relatives were able to leave Argentina and they were welcome in different countries of Europe, from there they spread these facts, protecting the prisoners who were still alive.
      Thirty years later a group of survivors of those wards of death decided to tell their story to the world to never be repeated. One of them, being a filmmaker, made ​​the film Sentenced, based on the facts confirmed by the judicial investigation.
      Along this film there are many more than kidnappings and deaths, the fight for the life and dignity is renewed day by day. The will, the wit and humor were weapons of the resistance, beyond the limits of the human understanding.
    • Beginning of shooting
    • May 01, 2011