Imágenes de silencio, compromiso, persecución y tortura: la teología de la liberación y su encrucijada con las dictaduras del Cono Sur desde una representación cinematográfica

Abstract

This dissertation examines the interaction between liberation theology and the dictatorships of the Southern Cone from the 1960s to the 1980s through cinematic representation. Filmmakers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay depict the political upheavals of the time, including the rise of leftist movements, military regimes, and the influence of liberation theology, a progressive religious ideology advocating for the oppressed. The study focuses on what is defined here as the cinematic canon of liberation theology, a body of films and documentaries that legitimize, contest, or obscure ideologies tied to this movement vis-à-vis the dictatorships. These films contest the silence of church sectors that did not publicly oppose dictatorships, legitimize the role of progressive churches’ support of the poor and dissidents, and contest the persecution and torture of religious and civilian dissidents. The films also obscure both progressive and conservative church ideologies while preserving the historical memory of unresolved dictatorial crimes