Oscar Winners Highlight Latin America’s Missing Persons

MEXICO CITY — Latin America continues to grapple with the deep scars of its past, particularly concerning the tens of thousands of unresolved disappearances that have cast shadows over regions like Mexico and Colombia for decades. This enduring issue was prominently highlighted during the 97th Academy Awards through two films that reflect different aspects of this trauma.

One of the films, the Brazilian work “Ainda Estou Aqui” (“I’m Still Here”), chronicles the harrowing tale of a family whose patriarch, a leftist ex-congressman, vanished in 1971 amid the military dictatorship. The other, a musical titled “Emilia Pérez,” centers around a fictitious Mexican drug lord who renounces crime to become a transgender individual dedicated to finding the disappeared in Mexico.

Indira Navarro, an activist leading the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico, has been on a prolonged quest to locate her brother, who disappeared in Sonora nine years ago. She expressed hope that the Academy Awards’ recognition would draw attention to the plight of the disappeared, thereby raising public awareness and empathy.

Both films secured multiple nominations at the prestigious awards, with “I’m Still Here,” directed by Brazil’s Walter Salles, winning the Oscar for best international film. Meanwhile, “Emilia Pérez,” helmed by French director Jacques Audiard, emerged as the most-nominated film, winning accolades for best original song and best supporting actress with Zoe Saldaña. A shared theme of unchecked disappearances and impunity threads both narratives, spotlighting a region-wide issue.

“I’m Still Here” owes its storyline inspiration to Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s book, which recounts his father’s disappearance at the hands of authorities during Brazil’s dictatorship. Despite decades of seeking justice, the family pursued closure only to be recognized by authorities years later. Walter Salles, in his Oscar speech, revered Eunice Paiva, the widow who tenaciously pursued truth and accountability. Marcelo Rubens Paiva underscored the film’s universal message against authoritarianism and for human rights.

Turning to Mexico, “Emilia Pérez” features the character Manitas del Monte, a transformed criminal on a mission to locate the missing, paralleling the real-life grave challenge faced in Mexico. Disturbingly, official statistics reveal 123,147 people currently unaccounted for in the country.

A report from the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances in April 2022 after visiting Mexico has noted that a mere 2% to 6% of disappearance cases lead to prosecution. Moreover, they highlight the involvement of organized crime, sometimes compounded by complicity or neglect by public officials.

The phenomenon of disappearances started in Mexico during the 1960s but escalated alarmingly in the 2000s with the burgeoning drug trade and governmental crackdowns. Families bear the brunt of the search efforts, scouring dangerous territories with little official support.

Navarro, while engaged in a search operation in the Jalisco region, voiced her hopes that the Oscars would serve as a global call to awareness of the dire situation in Mexico regarding the disappeared. She stands emblematic among those tirelessly seeking justice among a backdrop of enduring impunity.