Azul

In 1988 it was exactly one hundred years ago that the Nicaraguan writer Ruben Dario published his first work. Azul was the first publication of modern poetry in the Spanish language. Legiarda-Laura has given the same title to his film, because he wanted to show the Nicaraguan poetic inheritance. 24 poems are read, interspersed with interviews and discussions. Thus, the cultural soul of Nicaragua is mapped out. In the beginning of the film the Minister of the Interior, Borges, says that "poetry exists to take power". Cuadra, journalist of the opposition paper La Prensa, precisely alerts to the danger of politicising poetry. Be that as it may, this discussion fits in the Latin- American literary tradition, in which personal feelings are almost self- evidently linked to a social stand. This is not surprising for people who are living in an area that has been afflicted with political violence for so long. With the film Azul, Legiardi-Laura hopes to contribute to the creation of a more tolerant society, from which violence can finally be banned. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)