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Journalism professor screens documentary

“Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and the Search for Identity” — a documentary created by UNC journalism professor C.A. Tuggle — delves into the history of Argentinian human rights group Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and poses larger questions about the human right to identity.

Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo emerged in 1976 at the start of Argentina’s “Dirty War,” which began after a military dictatorship came took over the government.

The new regime severely persecuted dissidents and political enemies.

It is estimated that between 10,000 and 30,000 people — who became known as “Los Desaparecidos” — were kidnapped, tortured and killed by the government.

The children of pregnant women who were captured were given new identities and handed over to new families. Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo are a group of grandmothers attempting to locate their missing grandchildren.

Tuggle, the executive producer of the documentary, said he first became interested in this topic in 2002 when two of his students visited Argentina and created broadcast reports on the group.

In 2009, with the help of his two daughters Brynne Miller and Bethany Parker — both graduates of UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication — Tuggle put together a team and spent three weeks in Argentina interviewing 40 people connected to the story of Abuelas in some way.

The 60-minute film presents both sides of the conflict featuring interviews with not only members of Las Abuelas and some of the children the group has located, but also with people who were sympathetic to the military regime.

Miller, the multimedia designer for the film, said the two-year process of creating the documentary presented many challenges.

“We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into,” Miller said.

In addition to overcoming language and distance barriers, Tuggle said the team struggled with how to effectively — and correctly — handle a topic that is still extremely sensitive and taboo in Argentina.

Tuggle said another challenge was cutting down over 40 hours of footage into an hour-long film.

“If we put everything that we had, we’d still be watching this documentary tomorrow morning,” Tuggle said.

The greatest purpose of the documentary is its impact on educating people about basic human rights, Miller said.

Tuggle said the film attempts to bring awareness to a topic that is virtually unknown in the United States.

“It’s not that far away,” he said. “We need to be aware of human rights abuses in the past because that’s the only way we’re going to prevent them from happening in the future.”

Dylan Field, a UNC graduate who provided technical support and helped shoot interviews for the film, said he hopes the film will inspire people to take action.

“If you just bury your head in the sand, bad things will happen,” Field said.

Tuggle said today’s screening of “Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and the Search for Identity” marks the 101st time it’s been shown in the U.S. and abroad.

Miller said the whole process has been an incredible and moving experience.

“We could be the worst documentary makers in the world,” she said.

“But the story tells itself, and I believe it’s one that everyone should know.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.

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