Prisoneros de la Tierra

media release:

Argentina | 1939 | DCP | 86 min. | Spanish with English subtitles

Director: Mario Soffici

Cast: Francisco Petrone, Ángel Magaña, Elisa Galvé

In this searing work of social realism, a group of destitute men are forced into cruel and brutal indentured labor on a yerba maté plantation. Tensions erupt between the tyrannical foreman and one defiant worker who leads a rebellion against the system. Shooting on real jungle locations and boldly confronting national injustices, director Soffici (Rosaura a las 10) takes an unflinching approach, delivering one of Argentina’s most groundbreaking cinematic achievements.

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.

This year’s series of programs co-presented by Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies at UW-Madison puts the spotlight on all LACIS regions with local premieres of new features and several recent restorations. The series includes the first Madison showings of Sirāt (Spain) and A Poet (Colombia), plus repertory screenings of Mario Soffici’s Prisoneros de la Tierra (Argentina), Eloy de la Iglesia’s Confessions of a Congressman (Spain), Guillermo del Toro’s horror fable Cronos (Mexico), Euzhan Palcy’s Sugar Cane Alley (Martinique), and the Hollywood Technicolor production of Mark of the Renegade, starring Ricardo Montalban and directed by Argentine emigre Hugo Fregonese. The series is presented with the generous support of Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (LACIS) at UW-Madison. Special Thanks to Adrianna Angel, Sarah Ripp, Sarah McKinnon.