Her most recent documentary premiered at the Blackstar Film Festival in Philadelphia in 2023. The documentary “La Lucha” showcases the oppression with which a group of disabled people in Bolivia were met while publicly demanding a basic pension for their group.

While visiting her home town in Bolivia, the neurodivergent Violeta Ayala, with the tip of a friend started filming her experience, as she herself was part of the protests. She never imagined, she was in the middle of a social movement (all while documenting in film).

The result brought about substantial changes, not only securing a minimal basic pension for the physically and mentally disabled, but also exerting a change in the way people with disabilities are perceived by the rest of society; they were no longer kept behind closed doors.

In conversation with Clandestino Radio, available below (for video, click here) Violeta shares her experience making the film, which will be broadcast in public networks of various countries, in 2024.

Background

Back in 2015, a group of people representing those who have mental and physical disabilities in Bolivia started a public demonstration, asking for a national, monthly disability pension of about $72 (£56). Such a public service of the most vulnerable was something Bolivia never offered before. After 60 days of no talks, the group in Cochabamba decided to speak with the country’s Government. Then, there was a caravan of wheelchairs and crutches headed for La Paz asking to speak directly to the then president, Evo Morales. More than a month and about 390 km (240 mi) later, the group was greeted in La Paz by the police using tear gas, rubber bullets, and physical violence, including running a couple of protesters with a truck, causing the death of two protesters.

Check out La Lucha’s website to learn more.

https://clandestinoradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Violeta_Eng.mp3