Timor Lorosae: O Massacre que o Mundo Não Viu

The title of this film expresses well what you´ll get from this documentary. It is about a twenty five year long massacre/genocide of the East Timorese people. East Timor was annexed by Indonesia after independence from Portugal in 1974, followed by a planned genocide of the people, not limited to mass killings and provoked- civil war, but included the sterilization of East Timorese women by the Indonesians to reduce the population of East Timor´s native ethic group. A third of the population, it is believed, was killed.

Brazilian actress, Lucélia Santos, has done an excellent job in creating a documentary about a country which is virtually in shambles. After her long stay in East Timor, in appalling conditions, and using interviews from experts, and archival footage, Ms. Santos has given us the definitive documentary of the plight, and hope for this long suffering people

In 1975, after the Carnation Revolution, Portugal abandoned their East Timor colony in the island of Timor. The locals proclaimed self-independents, but a couple of days later Indonesia invaded and occupied the East Timor lands. The East Timorese people was humiliated, murdered and slaughtered along twenty-four years, but resisted and fought for their independence. In 1999, the world finally saw the atrocities in this small country, where one third of the population was killed, and the United Nations organized a plebiscite to decide the destiny of East Timor, where the wish of independence won. But before leaving the country, the militias and the Indonesian military forces burnt 90% of East Timor. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was recognized as an independent nation in UN.

Brazilian director and actress Lucélia Santos arrived in East Timor one year after the destruction of this country, and with the testimony of the survivors and footages inclusive of Max Stahl, shot this magnificent documentary about one of the most shameful and gore pages of contemporary history. The Brazilian Sérgio Vieira de Mello, killed on 19 August 2003 in the terrorist bombing of Canal Hotel in Baghdad, was the UN Transitional Administrator in East Timor from December 1999 to May 2002 and is interviewed in this brilliant documentary. Unfortunately, in 2006, East Timor seems to be forgotten again by the international press and I personally have no idea how might be the reconstruction process of this nation. In the excellent Extras of the DVD, Lucélia Santos discloses the costs of this film (R$ 90,000.00 - about US$ 35,000.00, sponsored by two Brazilian companies). There are additional interviews and a tribute to Sérgio Vieira de Mello. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Timor Leste - O Massacre Que o Mundo Não Viu" ("East Timor - The Massacre That the World Has not Seen")