Paraguayan film on Stroessner dictatorship wins top prize at Brazil's Bonito CineSur festival

The Paraguayan feature film “¿Quién Mató a Narciso?” directed by Marcelo Martinessi and based on Guido Rodríguez Alcalá’s book about the 1959 murder of radio host Bernardo Aranda, won the Best South American Feature award at the Bonito CineSur festival in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Actor Diro Romero, who plays Narciso, said the film highlights unresolved crimes of the Alfredo Stroessner military regime, which imprisoned, tortured and killed thousands during its 35‑year rule.

The festival’s closing ceremony also honored Colombian director Alejandro Calderón, who took home three trophies, and showcased the Peruvian drama “Naira” by Gabriela Quiroz, a film inspired by the director’s near‑death experience while swimming off the coast of Finisterra. Organizers used the event to promote regional cinema and to keep historical memory of South American dictatorships alive.