‘La Ola Verde’ (Antanas’s Way): A Conversation with the Filmmakers

May 17, 2011

Film Screening: La Ola Verde (Antanas’s Way) (May 10, 2011)

The documentary La Ola Verde (Antanas’s Way) tells the intimate story of Antanas Mockus’s eight-week campaign for the Colombian presidency in 2010 and impact it had on a country just out of four decades of war. Mockus, the son of Lithuanian immigrants and former mayor of Bogotá, led a fully transparent presidential campaign, which was unheard of in Colombian politics and defied all the stereotypes about a Latin American politician. Even more surprising was that this unlikely candidate made it into the runoff elections along with establishment figure Juan Manuel Santos. Santos eventually won the presidency.

The Mockus campaign’s basic premise was that the rule of law is the best way forward for a country beset by the mafia. This ignited an unprecedented social movement in the country, with online frenzy and flash mobs throughout Bogotá and the rest of Colombia.

Director Margarita Martínez and producer and former Open Society Fellow Juanita León came together for two recent post-screening talks. Listen above.

Reproductive Rights

The Fight for Abortion Rights in Colombia

Not long ago, Colombia had a total ban on abortions. A group of dedicated activists fought to end the criminalization and expand women’s rights. Their story—and what it means for reproductive justice around the world.

March 8, 2023 | Ana Cristina González Vélez

Homicide Reduction

Q&A: How One Colombian City Is Tackling Violent Crime

Palmira, Colombia, is one of the most violent cities in the world. But a prevention program focusing on youth has reduced crime significantly—and earned it an international peace prize. The city’s mayor on what’s working.

December 15, 2022

Community Health

Bogotá’s “Never Nobodies”

A man putting on a sock and surrounded by police officers

In a perpetual cycle of violence in a neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia, hundreds of street dwellers have been murdered over the last decade, their deaths often going uninvestigated. The state refers to them as the “never nobodies.”

August 14, 2019 | Sebastián Lanz

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