Makeshift mortars vs bare bullets as Nicaragua resists an authoritarian regime
Filmed in Nicaragua
Commissioned by Agence France-Presse
Entry details.
After tens of years of armed conflict and political instability, Nicaragua looked promising for Central America’s economic growth at the turn of the new millennium. The country seemed to have reached political stability until April 18, 2018 when protests erupted against government social security reforms. The demonstrations rapidly ballooned into a larger movement against the government of 73-year-old former guerrilla Daniel Ortega. Over the following four months, the conflict escalated, and clashes killed 325 people between opposition supporters and security forces, hundreds more were jailed and 60,000 exiled.
Biography
25-year-old Nicaraguan freelancer Luis has been working in video production since he was 17. Over the years, he has worked for Reuters, Ruptly, Telemundo, RCN and HBO across the Americas, Asia and Europe, covering the exodus of the Kurdish people in 2014, the Paris terrorist attack in 2015, and the terrorist attack in Florida in 2016.
Judges comments.
“Luis shoots with so much humanity. His characters obviously trusted him and allowed him into their most intimate moments…His work shows maturity and level-headedness and a creativity that was really exciting.”
Erin Lyall
News Producer, CBS