Latin Noir travels to five Latin American cities, meeting famous crime novelists Leonardo Padura (Havana), Luis Sepulveda (Santiago), Paco Ignacio Taibo II (Mexico City), Santiago Roncagliolo (Lima) and Claudia Pineiro (Buenos Aires). Through their stories and heroes, we discover a unique genre of flourishing literature, strikingly different from its North American or Nordic counterparts: it’s political, dark and crimes are committed by the state itself.

Jasim and Alsaleh are two underage refugees from Syria and Iraq who cross the Greek border and end up arrested, accused of trafficking illegal immigrants. Through unprecedented access to the youth detention centre, we find out how mafias have forced them into trafficking immigrants. The two young friends are facing tough jail sentences and are filled with anxiety for their future. The phone calls with their parents reveal the consequences of the violence in their home countries. An intimate depiction of a silenced reality where the young ones take on huge risks to flee the horrors of war.
WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Directed by Marianna Economou
DOK LEIPZIG Honorary Mention and Prize VERDI