Argentina, 1985 is a painful but necessary film for Latin America. This Argentine film, premiered this weekend at the Venice Film Festival, tells the story of prosecutors Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo, who in 1985 brought the commanders of the last dictatorship of the country to trial.

The military was accused of having committed crimes against humanity during the regime of Jorge Rafael Videla. He considered — along with Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay — one of the bloodiest dictators in South America.

The film, although it is a fictional drama, is inspired by these real events and shows how both prosecutors handled with the case without being intimidated by political power and threats.

“The 1985 trial is a fundamental fact for Argentina. It inaugurates democracy and at the same time condemns violence as a possibility. We believed that cinema had to portray it, and we are proud to have been the first to present it to the world. Why hasn't a movie like this been made before? I couldn't tell. Perhaps time was needed to be able to tell this story,” said the director Santiago Miter at the presentation of the film in Venice.

Mitre, in addition to directing the film, worked with Mariano Llinás on the script.

The cast of Argentina, 1985 is composed of renowned actor Ricardo Darín (The Secret in Their Eyes and Wild Tales) in the role of Julio Strassera, and Peter Lanzani (The Clan and The Angel) as Luis Moreno Ocampo. Darín and Lanzani are joined by Norman Briski, Laura Paredes, Claudio Da Passano, Alejandra Flechner, Carlos Portaluppi, and Alejo García Pintos.

The 140-minute film is produced by La Unión de los Ríos, Kenya Films, Infinity Hill, and Amazon Studios.

The production will be released in theaters in Argentina on Sept. 29, and will be available on the Prime Video starting Oct. 21.

Spanish-language productions in Venice 

Argentina, 1985 is one of the two films in Spanish to compete in the Official Section of the 79th edition of the Venice International Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 10. The other film is Bardo, False chronicle of a handful of truths directed by the Oscar-winning Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu. That film recounts the life of a journalist who returns to his country to face his family, his memories, and the new reality around him.

Fans will have to wait until Saturday, Sept. 10 to find out which film wins the Golden Lion for Best Film and the winning actors and actresses of the Volpi Cup.