A packed theater in Buenos Aires saw one of the first screenings of the film
A chilling reminder of Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983 has returned to the big screen with the documentary “Traslados” (Transferred). The film sheds light on the grisly practice of “death flights,” in which thousands of dissidents were rounded up and thrown from planes, often alive, into the Rio Plata and the Atlantic Ocean.
This week, a theater in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, packed the house for one of the first screenings of the film, which confronted both survivors and younger generations with a past that many would rather forget.
What were the 'death flights'?
The term “death flights” refers to brutal executions by Argentina's military dictatorship. Those deemed enemies of the regime, including activists and intellectuals, were told they were being “transferred” to another location. Instead, they were tortured and taken aboard military aircraft.
Halfway through the flight, they were thrown from the planes, many still alive, into the sea or the Rio Plata, where they drowned or died on impact. The fate of thousands remains a mystery; their bodies have never been recovered. What has been described by many as “state-sponsored terrorism” was a key tactic to silence dissent during Argentina's “Dirty War.”
Documentary 'Traslados'
Directed by Nicolas Gil Lavedra, the 90-minute documentary brings together survivor testimonies, archived footage and dramatized reenactments to present the horrors of the death flights. According to Lavedra, Traslados “puts together the evidence, the pieces, everything that is known… about the death flights.”
“There are no partisan or subjective opinions, there are facts and there is evidence,” Lavedra told AFP.
He wanted to give a clear and unbiased account of the atrocities committed during the dictatorship, an era in which, according to human rights organizations, 30,000 people were murdered or disappeared. One of the central stories in Traslados is that of Esther Ballestrino, Azucena Villaflor and Maria Ponce, founders of the “Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo” — a group that continues to fight for justice for the disappeared. Together with the French nuns Alice Domon and Leonie Duquet and seven other activists, they were kidnapped and murdered during one of the death flights on December 14, 1977.
The documentary comes as Argentina grapples with its dark history. The controversy erupted earlier this year when lawmakers from President Javier Milei's party visited former military officers convicted of crimes against humanity, including Alfredo Astiz, the man who infiltrated the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and identified the women who were later murdered.
The release of the documentary has revived calls for justice and remembrance. For Lavedra, this is more than reliving history — it’s about shaping the present. He said, “The only way we can heal that wound is with justice, truth, and remembrance.”
His connection to the subject is deep, as his father presided over the trials after the dictatorship and he previously directed a film about human rights activist Estela de Carlotto, president of the 'Mothers' group.
The military dictatorship of Argentina
Argentina’s military dictatorship remains one of the most brutal in Latin American history. Torture, forced disappearances, and state-sanctioned assassinations were used to suppress any form of dissent. While the military tried to maintain power, the people of Argentina lived in constant fear, unsure of who would disappear next.
The 'death flights' are one of the most heinous tactics of this regime and many of the victims have never been identified.
For younger Argentines, many of whom were born long after the dictatorship, “Traslados” is a painful reminder of the country's brutal past.