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Oscar hopeful 'Argentina, 1985' offers lessons on democracy: prosecutor
Luis Moreno Ocampo was just 32 years old when he was summoned to prosecute Argentina's generals in 1985 after a disastrous military dictatorship -- a story retold in an Oscar-nominated film.
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Argentine lawyer and former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, speaks during an interview with AFP in Malibu, California, March 6, 2023. (AFP/Robyn Beck)
L
uis Moreno Ocampo was just 32 years old and had no trial experience when he was summoned to prosecute Argentina's generals in 1985 after a disastrous military dictatorship -- a story retold in an Oscar-nominated film.
Moreno Ocampo, who went on to become the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, says Argentina, 1985 can help teach global audiences about the risks of losing democracy -- and the importance of public opinion.
"You've got to win your case in court. But then it's a battle for the memory," the 70-year-old Ocampo told AFP in an interview in Malibu, California, where he currently lives.
"I won the battle... in 1985. But (with this movie), Santiago Mitre and Ricardo Darin are winning the battle for memory in 2023, and that's unique."
Mitre is the director of Argentina, 1985, one of five nominees for the Academy Award for best international feature.
It tells the story of one of the most important trials in the country's history, and puts the focus on the tensions as the Latin American nation groped its way back to democracy after seven years of murderous military government from 1976 to 1983.
Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani), who himself hailed from a traditional military family, is appointed by lead prosecutor Julio Strassera (Darin) to help try nine of the uniformed men who had ordered thousands of killings and disappearances.
