A dream of revolution, documentary, 95 minutes written and directed by Petra Hoffmann
When the revolution triumphed in Nicaragua almost 45 years ago, a dream began. A young generation takes over the government in a country of great utopia. From West Germany alone, 15.000 “Brigadists” are coming to rebuild the country that has been bled dry: Liberals, Greens, trade unionists, social democrats, leftists and church representatives harvest coffee and cotton, build schools, kindergartens and sick stations. No movement has mobilized so many people. What happened to the wishes and dreams of revolutionaries and their supporters? In 2018, an uprising against the former revolutionary hero and current President Ortega was bloodily suppressed.
With her film “A Dream of Revolution,” director Petra Hoffmann provides insight into the history of Nicaragua and from the fight against the dictator Somoza to the present day. She herself went to Nicaragua in the 1980s as a brigadier to support the population in their fight against the dictator Somoza.
For her film, she uses historical film clips, statements from those involved in the process, such as the writer Giocanda Belli, whose Nicaraguan citizenship was revoked from Ortega in 2023, but also statements from former comrades in arms from Europe with whom she met in Costa Rica the border with Nicaragua.
How did the activists at the time deal with the fact that the “dream of revolution” was shattered? But also: how should the current political situation be assessed and what influence and support options are there? Also for non-governmental organizations?
The director Petra Hoffmann will be available for a discussion after the film.