Series Site
"Pablo Alvarez-Mesa’s BICENTENARIO is a highly thought-provoking and elegant meditation on the legacy left by Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) on the physical, psychic, and political landscapes of Colombia. Seen from a broader perspective, it is also an exceptional filmic exploration of the ways in which history imprints itself on landscapes or cultures, as well as the process by which national identities are constructed, perpetuated, or imposed.
"Anthology will be showcasing BICENTENARIO in September, both with a week-long run of the work itself, and a sidebar series inspired by it: a selection of films that share its preoccupation with the concept of national identity, and that document the visible traces of history – or in some cases their conspicuous absence. In one way or another, most of the films included here touch on the project of transforming a geographical territory into the idea of a nation, a culture, a “people,” a project that’s both potentially meaningful and fraught with danger. Many of the films also confront the subject of historical markers or monuments, a charged topic in recent years as we increasingly interrogate how societies decide which historical figures or events to commemorate, and which to ignore or suppress." —Anthology Film Archives