Blog post

Tariq Ali interviewed by the Scotsman

Clara Heyworth25 July 2010

The Scotsman has run an interview with Tariq Ali in which Claire Black talks to him about Latin America and the new film 'South of the Border' which he co-wrote with Oliver Stone.

Already known for his fascination with presidents, Stone has previously made films about John F Kennedy, Richard Nixon and George W Bush, but South of the Border is something different. Ostensibly a documentary, it focuses on the rise of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and his reformist allies in South America, including Evo Morales of Bolivia. It's an unapologetically celebratory portrait. Shown first at the Venice Film Festival last year, and having already had its New York premiere, it's proved to be just as controversial as Stone's previous offerings, with critics objecting to both inaccuracies and its glowing assessment of Chávez.

 "It's very simple, very straightforward," says Ali, sounding every bit like a man used to and happy about, ruffling feathers. "Its aim was very clear: in the United States in particular, but in Europe too, there has been so much disinformation about the South Americans and the Latin Americans, we just said let's hear them speak. You hear the other point of view non-stop so there was no attempt to make a balanced documentary in that sense."

Visit the Scotsman to read the interview in full.

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