“Excellent!  THE FALL OF FUJIMORI offers, among other things, the latest proof that nonfiction filmmaking can be stranger than any make-believe. Built around an extraordinary series of conversations with Mr. Fujimori himself. (Uses) a fascinating and somewhat mysterious individual as a lens through which complicated events can be examined.”
– A. O. Scott, The New York Times

“(An) astonishing portrait! Reveals the captivating conflict between the man’s skewed vision and the disturbing realities that surround him. A chilling study of power and denial.“
– Anthony Kaufman, Time Out NY

“Without comment, Perry allows the viewer to draw his own parallels about the current U.S. war on terror and the one Fujimori waged. Those parallels, once recognized, give the film a scope far beyond that of a straight political biography… A smart, insightful and revelatory portrait of one of the late-20th century’s more enigmatic world leaders… (whose story) has enough unlikely melodrama for six Italian operas… How Fujimori rationalizes or simply disregards the crimes of which he is accused – corruption, kidnapping, murder – makes the interview Perry conducted with him a classic in the psychology of power.”
– John Anderson, Variety

PRODUCED & DIRECTED BY
ELLEN PERRY
USA 2005 • 83 MINS.
IN ENGLISH & SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Cinetic Media

TWO DECADES BEFORE AMERICA LAUNCHED ITS WAR ON TERROR, PERU WAS ENGAGED IN ITS OWN BATTLE with deadly insurgent groups. By the time Alberto Fujimori was elected president of Peru in 1990, the Shining Path rebels controlled over 40% of the country. Determined to annihilate the terrorists, Fujimori took extreme measures – effectively becoming dictator in 1992. He dissolved congress and the judiciary, restricted the press, called for military tribunals, and condoned death squads. Although these Draconian methods largely defeated Shining Path, the power structure he built became an authoritarian machine that collapsed under the weight of its own corruption, leading Fujimori to flee to Japan in 2000. It is here that filmmaker Ellen Perry was granted unprecedented access: Fujimori comes across as deferential, gracious and sincere in his concern for his homeland – an image fiercely at odds with his reputation.

Today Fujimori is on Interpol's Most Wanted List for fraud, kidnapping and murder charges – and under arrest in Chile. Undeterred by the indictments, Fujimori has announced his intention to run for president of Peru in April 2006. (Film Forum will also show STATE OF FEAR, opening January 11, which is based on the findings of the Peruvian Truth Commission and chronicles the 20-year reign of terror initiated by Shining Path in 1980.)

• Official site of The Fall of Fujimori
• Listen to inteview of STATE OF FEAR Director Pamela Yates and THE FALL OF FUJIMORI Director Ellen Perry on the Leonard Lopate show:
  • Streaming [RealPlayer]
  • Download mp3

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