Two Great Films, One Inspiring Leader

Written By Sil Azevedo

José “Pepe” Mujica is an icon in his native Uruguay, all of South America and beyond. Who is not touched to see the humble president ride his light blue VW Beetle around the streets of Montevideo and interact with common folks as one of them? There is no pretense, no self-adulation. This is a man who lived, suffered and gave everything for a cause: a more equitable and just society.

Los Sueños de Pepe: Movimiento 2052 (2024) follows Pepe in his world travels as he campaigns for a more sustainable way of life to save the planet — and ourselves. From South America to the United Nations to Japan, Pepe’s charisma instantly connects him to every audience. People know when they see authenticity. Produced and directed by Pepe’s countryman Pablo Trobas, this film transcends local mythology. We’re all in this together, and there is no better figure to inspire and unite us for good than Pepe Mujica.

“El Pepe: A Supreme Life,” (2018) on the other hand, draws on history and connects Pepe’s experiences to the great leader he became. Serbian director Emir Kusturica is himself a supporting character on this film. His admiration for the simple yet larger-than-life man before him is evident. Through his eyes we enter the intimacy of Pepe’s daily life—from casual home scenes to reflective moments when Pepe shares his heart and his mate with the director. We’re placed in scene, as if we were there with Pepe himself. And the myth holds. Pepe is the man we believe he is.

If you’re looking for integrity in leadership in these troubled times of ours, when every virtue is trampled on by outrageously unethical leaders, well, Pepe is your man, and these films deliver. Although Pepe has since passed, his dreams and supreme life still inspire.

Sil Azevedo

I was seven years old when I got my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic 133. It was Christmas of 1973. Since then, I have always seen the world through the lens. It is my way of making sense, of visually dealing with paradoxes and complexities of life. In high school I was the lab rat and spent each free minute at the feet of the Beseler enlarger, hypnotized by its magical light. Still today I enjoy low light ambiences. They say photographers do it in the dark. I am living proof - ha! Architecture school followed as photography was not a career option in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The combination of art, composition, light, form and space, coupled with the demands of physics found in Architecture have their parallel in photography. The concepts are transferable. As I started my career in Architecture, I soon found that I was more excited about the concept and the print than the actual building. Fantasy is my reality. I kept shooting, learning and apprenticing with some incredible artists. In time, as life took its turns, my original passion for photography became my full time profession. It has been almost 20 years since I walked into the pro shop and charged the Hasselblad and the studio lights to my credit card. As he saw the bill and my naive optimism, even the salesman exclaimed, "you're going to have to sell a lot of pictures..." I did and still do, but what drives me is not that. It is the unstoppable desire to understand and to relate. To me, that is photography.

http://silazevedo.com
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