Cannes is dyed green | First "Let it be law", …

"She did not have the chance to live because she was a Catholic, they murdered my daughter, he did not receive any treatment or anything," says Norma Cuevas. She is the mother of Ana María Acevedo, a 19-year-old girl, who died in 2007, after believing in her religion, the doctors and the authorities of Iturraspe Hospital in Santa Fe. She arbitrarily and illegally refused to perform a legal abortion. – When she had cancer and did not provide the treatment she needed, in order to continue to raise a child after a cesarean section, died like days later, Ana Maria: not saved the life. Norma's testimony, surrounded by Ana María's children and teenagers, in the precarious square of the city of Vera, hurts and is part of the documentary "Que una ley" by the filmmaker Juan Solanas, the only Argentine film on the program of the Cannes Film Festival, which will be broadcast on Saturday between special sessions.

"I am not only in favor of legalizing abortion, I am ashamed that in Argentina it is criminalized, I wanted to record the reality, but not downstream, for three reasons: I am a man, I live abroad and if you make a brochure, you gain strength, just show the reality, reach, "he says. Page / 12 Solanas, from Paris, where he prepares to participate in the world premiere, excited about the idea of ​​presenting his latest creation at the most important film festival and, most importantly, to express the historical claims of the press international who follows the event. the National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe and Free Abortion.

During the weekend, the beautiful French city, which has become almost a set of movies – because of the huge presence of cameras and show stars – will be dyed in green with the two thousand handkerchiefs that a group of d & # 39; Activists will carry, including Marta Alanís de Católicos, from Right to Decide, and lawyer Nelly "Pila" Minyersky, who will accompany Solanas to the gala of the premiere of the film. Also traveling for the screening, Norma Cuevas and Tucumán's medical couple, Cecilia Ousset and José Gigena, were prosecuted after guaranteeing in February the legal termination of pregnancy of the little girl Lucia.

Sacred director, Solanas is also the son of the deputy Pino Solanas. He lived 37 years in France, where he arrived when his family had to exile for the last military dictatorship. For 5 years, he lives in Montevideo. "I grew up in France where abortion was not a problem.When I learned in the early 2000s that it was not legal in Argentina, I did not could not believe it.The subject was marked for me.It did not fit in my head.Cruelty to women is strengthened in the couple between the church and the doctors.We who are for the life, it's us.They appropriated the expression "pro life", but they only succeeded in death, sadism.This is a subject that touches me and bad me, "said Solanas.

The film condenses that looks into the problem of the criminalization of abortion. During the whole hour and a half that the documentary lasts, it is left in the foreground the absence of arguments to oppose the sanction of the law. But this is not a film about the campaign or debate in Congress, although there are exhibitions on the place and the voices of lawmakers. It's a choral story, in which feminist activists, deputies and senators are expressed – in favor and against – but above all the powerful testimonies of survivors of illegal abortions gathered by Solanas in different parts of the country. . among them, Tilcara, Jujuy and relatives of deceased women, for not having been entitled to a legal interruption, as was the case with Ana María Acevedo, or for not receiving adequate attention, such as Liliana Herrera, to Santiago del Estero. There is also the word of doctors and anti-straight references. The testimonies dialogue throughout the film with the joy of activism in the streets, the many events that accompanied the debate in Congress, teenagers putting glitter, green scarves, drums and songs in the streets .

"I did not understand why Argentina, a pioneer in Latin America with a law on the equality of marriages, with a woman president and a majority in Parliament, had not approved the legalization of the law. Abortion, "said Solanas. Then, "when I saw this powerful wave, I thought it was the right one, that this time the law could be made public, and I left the feature film I was preparing, an adaptation of Twenty light years ago, the first novel by Argentine writer Elsa Osorio, and I was in Buenos Aires to record this historic moment, "he says. "I could not believe the non-speech of those who call themselves" pro-life. "These are fachos," adds the filmmaker. Until then, I had not discovered activism in the streets. "I arrived and that day there was a handkerchief in Congress and I went crazy, these pibas put the light where there was darkness, I was fascinated by the images. returned to Uruguay to look for a larger suitcase and I came back to stay in filming.Every day that has pbaded the debate in Congress, more and more participants have the impression that we have to continue filming " , did he declare. "I am pbadionate about political discussion and I started shooting members of the Las group. [email protected]"To the referents of the campaign, until this dark night where the law was not approved", he continues. That night, he was certain that he had to do a feature film. "Militant but not a plan," clarifies.

He traveled some 4000 kilometers with his camera. He met women from different parts of the country: one person he took with another. He did not ask any questions, he said. He put the camera on and offered to tell him what they meant.

This is the third time that one of his films has been selected to be presented at the Cannes Film Festival. His first short film, "El hombre sin cabeza", won the jury prize in 2003, unanimously. His first feature film, Nordeste, speaks of inequality and where one of the protagonists, a very poor Argentinean woman, aborts in front of the camera, was part of the official selection.

"If you are in favor of the right to abortion and you watch the film, you will reaffirm your position.If you come from Opus Dei, you will not see it.In these eight months of filming, they asked me what film I was filming, I noticed many faces of discomfort when I said the subject. </ p> <p> They were good people who m <39 said abortion was about killing babies, and when I started talking to them, I realized that they had no information. This way, they can feel this humanity and understand what we are talking about, "says Solanas.