Private Project

'Che' Guevara in the 21st century

The documentary is divided into two parts, each with its own title.
1) "SONS OF THE REVOLUTION": The children of the young men that fought and died with Che Guevara in Bolivia, tell how it was to grow up without a father and suffering abandonment; only through the letters they received and the anecdotes that were told, they could know their dads. These stories are intertwined with the direct memories of the survivors General Harry Villegas and Colonel Leonardo Tamayo.
2) "BEING REVOLUTIONARY": The survivors of the guerrilla tell how their last days of combat were. Intimate memories are woven with the analysis of strategic decisions made by the Commander Guevara.
The documentary reflects on the ethical and current meaning of being revolutionary.

  • Walter Uliano Pistelli
    Director
  • Walter Uliano Pistelli
    Writer
  • Enrica Matricoti
    Producer
  • Walter Uliano Pistelli
    Producer
  • Miguel Ángel Estellano Schulze
    Key Cast
    "Voice of Che Guevara"
  • Jorge Ernesto Barrón
    Key Cast
    "Voice of the guerrilla fighter 'Pacho'"
  • Fernando Vargas
    Key Cast
    "Voice of the guerrilla fighter Pombo"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Che Guevara en el siglo XXI
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    2 hours 40 minutes 43 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 8, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Cuba
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    HDV
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Seattle Latino Film Festival
    Seattle, Washington
    United States
    October 7, 2019
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Kolkata International Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    November 13, 2019
    Asian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Top Indie Film Awards
    Tokyo
    Japan
    Festival with no screening - World Premiere
    "Best Documentary Feature" and "Best Editing" + Nomination "Best Director" and nomination "Best Music"
  • Five Continents International Film Festival
    Puerto la Cruz , Anzoátegui
    Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
    Festival with no screening - World Premiere
    "Best Screenplay in Documentary Feature"
  • The IndieFEST Film Awards
    La Jolla, California
    United States
    Festival with no screening - World Premiere
    "Award of Merit"
  • Hollywood New Directors
    Hollywood, California
    United States
    No screening - World Premiere
    "Honorable Mention"
  • Euro Fest 2019
    St. Petersburg
    Russian Federation
    Festival with no screening - World Premiere
    Finalist in the category "Best documentary feature"
Director Biography - Walter Uliano Pistelli

Walter Uliano Pistelli (1974, Italy) is a film director and video editing professor. He has a masters degree in Electronic Engineering.
He has been working in filmmaking since 2003, when he directed his first short film and collaborated in the making of documentaries. He worked for some years as an assistant director on movies and as a camera operator on television programs. After spending some years living in South America, he returned to Italy, where he worked as an art director of cultural events and directed some commercials. Since 2011 he is an editing professor at the “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern” film school of Bologna (Italy). In 2019 has been Tutor and juryman at the workshop 'Bolivia Lab' (Santa Cruz, Bolivia). 'Che Guevara in the 21st century' is his first documentary feature film.

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Director Statement

This documentary presents a reflection on the relationship between personal values and universal ideals: the expedition to Bolivia of Che Guevara and his companions from the perspective of the children who, from an early age, had to deal with the decision that their fathers took when leaving, considered heroic by the society in which they live, but that forced them to grow without parental reference. The questions that have accompanied them over the years intersect with the reflections of the survivors of the guerrilla and their intimate memories. The ethical and cultural legacy of the Che Guevara's military defeat in Bolivia suggests the need to reconsider in a global way the impact that official history attributes to this mission.