movies about Nicaragua

Much of Nicaragua's cultural and political history is captured in the cameras of diverse filmmakers through the years. Here we present another set of films that tell stories new and old. Please let us know which films you like, and why! 

Nicaragua-A Nation's Right to Survive. This 1983 documentary directed by John Pilger presents the difficulties facing the young, revolutionary Nicaragua, crippled by aggression from the superpower to the North. "The issue is that the United States has no right to invade and humiliate a small country" (A. C. Sandino). This film includes footage of US biplanes in attacks on Ocotal, where the first aerial bombing in the world was conducted in 1926-before the Spanish massacre at Guernica.

Land  "Next time you pack your sunscreen bring your gun". A documentary video about the housing development boom on the Nicaraguan Pacific coast. If you are thinking of buying property in Nicaragua, see this first. Directed by Julian Pinder, is available on Torrents.

Pictures from a Revolution by Susan Meiselas. "PICTURES FROM A REVOLUTION is also a smart, unvarnished tale of the evolution of images as they run headlong into popular culture and political agendas". 

The Mosquito Coast, based on the book by Paul Theroux, tells a Gulliveresque story set on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast. Starring Harrison Ford as a dreamer wanting to change the Nicaraguans, only he still does not even know them. 

Nicaragua: An Unfinished Revolution presents social and political issues facing the Sandinistas in their second chance at social transformation in Nicaragua. This video, produced by Al-Jazeera, is presented below.

No Pasaran, a film by the Australian filmmaker David Bradbury, covers the history of Nicaragua from the construction of the Somoza dynasty until the Nicaraguan Sandinista Revolution. 

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The Laguna de Apoyo Movie List

Nicaragua's rich socio-political history is the stuff of movies, and some good ones have come from it. Here we present our list, movies that lovers of Nicaragua should see. Let´s go to the movies!

1. Carla's Song (1996)
A Nicaraguan woman carries the scars of war with her to Glasgow, where she meets a man who helps her face her past and return to her country and love. Set during the contra war in revolutionary Nicaragua. Directed by Ken Loach.

Carla's Song Trailer

2. Alsino and the Condor (1983)
Best Foreign Film Academy Award 1983
Alsino dreams of flying. and his village is visited by aircraft raining destruction. An analogy for the apologists of fascism in its many rebirths throughout Latin America. Directed by Miguel Littin.

3. Walker (1987) Directed by Alex Cox
William Walker was a good man gone bad. As he sank morally, he dragged a nation downward with him. Ed Harris plays the lead role brilliantly, in a cleverly constructed retelling of the first US citizen president of Nicaragua. This movie portrays the Walker experience with broad artistic license. Music by Joe Strummer from The Clash.

Walker-Trailer

3. Under Fire (1983)
Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman are seasoned war reporters, documenting the insurrection against the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua. Based loosely on the assassination of ABC reporter Bill Stewart in 1979. Soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith.

5. La Yuma (2009)
Two sports shine in Nicaragua: Baseball, and boxing. A most unlikely boxing film - about a woman boxer. Directed by Florence Jaguey.

La Yuma (The complete film)

La Yuma-trailer

What is your favorite film about Nicaragua? Please let us know. If we have not included it here, we would like to see it and share your interest with others, too.
Estacion Biologica FUNDECI/GAIA sponsors and operates the Laguna de Apoyo Spanish Language School. We have the oldest "study Spanish abroad" program in Nicaragua. Please visit us when you are in Laguna de Apoyo.

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Sandino The Movie

The most iconic figure in the history of Nicaragua is Augusto C. Sandino. The illegitimate child of a poor servant girl, a self-made man, and emphatic defender of sovereignty, was betrayed and killed ignominiously when he opted to negotiate for peace. His death launched a single-family dynasty which, not coincidentally, ended at the hands of a new generation of rebels who adopted his name for their movement.

Miguel Littin, a Chilean leftist filmmaker, undertook the auspicious project of tracing the remarkable life of Sandino on film. The result is presented here, broken into parts of about 10 minutes each. This film receives our highest recommendation, because it tells one of the great stories which define why Nicaragua is so special. One can't know Nicaragua, its history, society and culture, without understanding Sandino, and one can't understand Sandino without loving Nicaragua. Patria libre o muerte!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

The Spanish courses offered at Estacion Biologica include a historical perspective and legacy of Augusto Cesar Sandino in today's Nicaragua. The modern term sandinista incorporates concepts of struggle, social justice, sovereignty and national dignity, and a rich history has been played out in which the term has been applied. The term holds both political and broad cultural connotations today in Nicaragua, and our Spanish teachers have personal experience in these concepts, to make your Spanish training directed toward the circumstances found in Nicaragua.

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