Buffalo 8 has acquired the US rights to Héctor Muniente’s documentary The Ecuadorian Candidate, filmed during Ecuador’s 2021 elections.
The Jacobin magazine documentary follows the story of left-wing economist Andrés Arauz as he aspires to be the next president of Ecuador.
Arauz had the support of Rafael Correa, the former president who boosted Ecuador’s leftist movement, ruled the South American country from 2007 to 2017 and was an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez .
Arauz ran in the elections against the conservative banker Guillermo Lasso, who was running for the third time and finally prevailed at the polls. The documentary addresses the climate crisis, indigenous politics, migration, fake news and how the law can become a weapon.
“The Ecuadorian candidate challenges the prevailing narratives perpetuated by the US media about Latin American left-wing populism, offering a new perspective on the complex reality of the region,” said Héctor, who also served as producer.
Bhaskar Sunkara executive produced Jacobin alongside Assembly Line Entertainment’s Janek Ambros.
Buffalo 8’s Nikki Justice and Ella Wahlestedt brokered the deal with the filmmakers and are currently planning the release.
