Bajo Fuego - Under Siege (2020)
Directed by: Irene Vélez-Torres and Sjoerd Van Grootheest
In November 2016, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the office of President Juan Manuel Santos signed the Colombian peace deal.
Many hoped this would mark an end to 52 years of armed conflict. For farmers in the coca-growing region of Cauca however, this “peace” has proven to be short-lived. Bajo Fuego follows “cocaleros” as they mobilize to protect their livelihoods after the government instructs them to destroy their crops as part of the “war on drugs.” As new armed groups arise, the promised peace turns out to be an illusion for these farmers whose lives are threatened and who are displaced from their homes. Bajo Fuego exposes the lived reality behind the politics, that has left many Colombians in a continued state of war.
“What was signed were just agreements, they did not sign peace. We still have to build peace.” Farmer, Bajo Fuego (Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2021)
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