Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Javier Bardem, a producer of the film as well as its on-screen narrator, will participate in a post-screening conversation along with Kerry Kennedy, from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights, and producers Alvaro Longoria and Lilly Hartley at 7:00pm. Bardem and Kennedy intro at the 9:15pm show.

Ever since he took part in a film event in Western Sahara Spanish actor Javier Bardem has championed the rights of the population of this former Spanish colony. The documentary SONS OF THE CLOUDS: THE LAST COLONY is one of the results of his engagement.

The year 1975 marked the end of Franco’s dictatorship. In the same year, the Moroccan king ordered the ‘green march’ in which 350,000 civilians took part in order to take possession of the land by peaceful means. However, this supposedly nonviolent ‘green march’ has given rise to repression, war, ethnic cleansing and exile and, to this day, Morocco categorically refuses to call a referendum regarding the status of this region.

SONS OF THE CLOUDS describes the lives of the Sahrawi people who, often forced into exile, vacillate between desperation and militancy. This documentary, which claims that the Arab Spring protests of spring 2010 began in West Sahara, also shows how economic considerations have prevented the United States and France from promoting the self-determination of the region’s indigenous people. SONS OF THE CLOUDS: THE LAST COLONY also demonstrates how one individual’s dedication can sometimes be a powerful weapon against hopelessness and stasis. – Berlinale

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.