Acha Acha Cucaracha: Cucaño strikes again
In 1979, at time of a cruel dictatorship, Cucaño emerged in the city of Rosario, Argentina. A group of experimental art integrated by very young young people, their action gave some light to the ominous darkness of those times. Today in their fifties, its former members reclaim those actions of their first youth and persist, each of them in his/her own way.
Director Biography
Mario Piazza was born in New York City in 1956, but he lives in Rosario, Argentina, since he was ten months old. He was 21 when he finished his short Super 8 film “Sueño para un oficinista” (1978), screened at the concerts of the local rock band Irreal, that performed the film’s soundtrack live. His documentaries “Papá gringo” (1983), “La Escuela de la Señorita Olga / Ms. Olga’s School” (1991) and “Cachilo, el poeta de los muros / Cachilo, poet of the walls” (1999/2000) have had considerable circulation and recognition at film festivals and art events. “Madres con ruedas / Mothers on Wheels” (2006) was commercially released in the cities of Rosario and Buenos Aires, and was awarded and exhibited in several countries, including Brazil, Spain and China.
Director Statement
A few years older than the average Cucaño members, I had to “come into the world” as well as them in times of coercion, making my first short films in Super 8 format.
Without having had the fortune to witness any of the happenings of the Cucaño collective, I’ve only been a spectator at one of their plays. I’ve heard the rumblings of those happenings, especially at the VIP bar and the church. I’ve bought Cucaño’s publications which I proudly store.
From my first thoughts about making this documentary, it has been encouraging to see the enthusiasm of the very protagonists of that experience. And at the same time I think I am the ideal one to do this, having witnessed that experience and having a thorough vision of it, along with my satisfaction with the experience and a responsibility to tell their story.
To follow Cucaño’s spirit, the film about them should be a “cucaño” film, keeping the collective’s mood and attitude that is breathing in their works. It shouldn’t be a film with just particular facts, agenda, or intellectual ideals. My goal would be to directly reflect the collective’s breakaway ideas merged with its mythical side.
The purpose and challenge of this film is to share the freedom and raging revelry that Cucaño offered as well as to give a testimony of their history.
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